Indonesia plans to use auctions to award solar-power projects, taking a cue from countries such as India and Brazil where competitive bidding has helped drive down the cost of renewable energy. Developers will bid at a discount to the state-set top price of 25 U.S. cents a kilowatt-hour of production, Alihuddin Sitompul, director for new energy and renewable energy at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Reso ...

Tata Power Solar, the leading Indian solar company, has won a prestigious 50 MW solar photovoltaic project from NTPC as part of their mandate to expand their renewable energy portfolio to 1,000MW by 2017. The new flagship 50MW project, at Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh, will double NTPC’s solar capacity. Once commissioned in March 2014, the project is expected to generate 78.66 million units (Kwh) of energy each y ...

German solar panel manufacturer Conergy said it will file for insolvency, the latest victim of ferocious competition from Asia in the industry. Conergy, which has workforce of around 1,200, said it would file an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings at a court in the northern city of Hamburg but remained "confident" of finding an investor. "The management remains confident of achieving a con ...

Sharp Corp., a Japanese solar panel maker, is considering building a 38-megawatt solar power station in northern Japan. The plant may be built in Tomakomai city, Hokkaido, Miyuki Nakayama, a Sharp spokeswoman, said by phone today, declining to confirm details included in a June 29 story in the Nikkei newspaper. No decision has been made on the plant, she said. The station may cost more than 10 billion yen ( ...

Solar-products maker ReneSola Ltd. said it restarted production at its Sichuan polysilicon plant Monday, following upgrades to the plant's furnaces and hydrochlorination technology intended to help lower production costs. The Chinese company had halted polysilicon production in November to complete the upgrades, which included new proprietary reduction furnaces and improved proprietary hydrochlorination tec ...

Canadian Solar Inc., one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that it has been awarded an exclusive module supply agreement to PV modules totaling 91MW for Soleq Solar Co. Ltd. power plant projects in Thailand. "We chose to work with Canadian Solar because of their vast industry experience and track record delivering high quality modules to large scale solar power projects worldwide ...

The new issue of Power Insider Asia is out now! And it has a brand new look! This issue focuses on China and Thailand and has a fantastically fresh new image. Solar features include a report into the controversial anti-dumping tax imposed on China, some expert input about the importance of backsheet design, and a review of one of China’s solar giants; Trina Solar. Download the FREE magazine from right here ...

Farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are turning to "solar sharing," a process in which they can generate solar power on the same land where they grow crops and sell the power to utilities. The farmers are hoping to sell the power to help cover the losses they are suffering because of the nuclear crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. To help farmers recover from the effects of ...

The state power company in the Indian state of Bihar has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of 100 MW of grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd. (Patna, India) will offer 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) to winning bidders. Developers may submit proposals through July 1st, 2013 at 1 PM. Developers must post an INR 2 lakh (USD 3,300) pl ...

Baker & McKenzie is advising Sumitomo Corporation on their plans to develop and invest in three mega-solar power projects in Japan. These projects will require an investment of JPY18 billion with the goal of securing a combined generation capacity of 49 MW. The three plants will be built in Tomakomai in Hokkaido (13 MW); Saijo in Ehime (23 MW) and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka (13 MW).  SMBC will lead a syndica ...