Soitec begins construction of 1.3 MW solar CPV project in Portugal

Solar server
Soitec SA (France) has completed financing and begun construction of a 1.3 MW concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) plant in Southern Portugal which uses its CPV technology.
Project funders include Enovos International SA (Luxembourg) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon). The plant is being installed by Electricidade Industrial Portuguesa SA (EIP, Lisbon), with Luz.On (Portugal) serving as project developer. (...) The plant is being built in Alcoutim, in the Algarve region, which Soitec notes offers some of the best natural solar conditions in Europe. The plant includes 82 Soitec Concentrix CPV systems, including its dual-axis tracking technology.
The project is one of 11 that Portugal has authorized to push the development of CPV in the nation, and will serve as a demonstration of the technology.

China's solar power use surges

Xinhua | English.news.cn
China's on-grid solar power capacity will amount to 10GW by the end of 2013, a 200-percent jump from that seen a year ago, the National Energy Administration (NEA) forecast on Wednesday. (...) The share of thermal power generation capacity is predicted to drop to 69.6 percent from the 71.5 percent at the end of 2012, while that of hydropower, on-grid wind power and nuclear power are expected to stand at 22.5 percent, 6.1 percent, 1.2 percent, respectively.

EU-China solar trade wars

EU, China Agree to End Solar Panel Trade Dispute
European Union countries approved an agreement with China to curb imports of Chinese solar panels, ending the EU’s biggest commercial dispute of its kind. EU governments endorsed an accord struck by their trade chief and China in July that sets a minimum price and a volume limit on European imports of Chinese solar panels until the end of 2015. Chinese manufacturers that take part will be spared EU tariffs meant to counter alleged below-cost sales, a practice known as dumping, and subsidies.

EU Hits Chinese Solar-Glass Exporters With Tariffs Up to 42.1%
The European Union imposed tariffs as high as 42.1 percent on solar glass from China to curb import competition for EU producers, heightening trade tensions over renewable energy. The duties punish Chinese exporters such as Zhejiang Jiafu Glass Co. and Xinyi PV Products (Anhui) Holdings Ltd. for allegedly selling solar glass in the EU below cost, a practice known as dumping. The glass is used for the production of solar panels, which are themselves the focus of two European trade probes affecting China.

24 Percent Efficient n-Type Silicon Solar Cell

Fraunhofer ISE
Fraunhofer ISE [reached a] new record: 24 percent efficiency for a silicon solar cell which uses an n-type base material and a novel concept for the rear contact. The special feature of this cell is a so-called passivated contact covering the entire rear surface.

Spectrolab sets new solar PV cell efficiency world record of 38.8% without concentration

SolarServer
Spectrolab has produced a solar photovoltaic (PV) cell with a conversion efficiency of 38.8% without concentration of light. (...) This is a new world record, and beats Spectrolab's previous record by 1%. The multijunction PV cell was developed using new bonding technology from Spectrolab's parent company Boeing (Chicago). (...) Boeing notes that the technology can be used to power high-powered spacecraft and unmanned aerial

Nanosolar Reborn as German Silicon Module and BIPV Manufacturer

Greentech Media
Nanosolar was acquired by Smartenergy Renewable and has been rechristened "Smartenergy Renewables Deutschland GmbH." But no CIGS thin-film solar remains in the equation. The new company will now be a crystalline silicon module assembly, a building-integrated PV manufacturer, and an O&M firm, claiming advantage in vertical integration. And manufacturing in Germany. The company will continue to support existing CIGS customers.

For the full story, as seen from the sit of the former Nanosolar CEO can be read here.

Martifer Solar announces 17.8MW PV plants in Portugal

Martifer Solar
Martifer Solar, a subsidiary of Martifer SGPS, together with Hanwha Q CELLS Korea, the Korean leading company in PV downstream area, completed a utility scale project for Korean investors, with combined capacity of 17.8 MWp. The Korean investors include Hanwha Q CELLS Korea, which is also a consortium member, and the Financial Investment Trusts managed by Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management.
The PV cluster, which was inaugurated today, consists of six PV plants constructed in Loures, Montijo and Montemor-o-Novo regions. Martifer Solar will be the operations and maintenance contractor to ensure the optimal generation levels of these six PV plants.