Solar Plant to rise from Abu Dhabi Desert by end of 2012.

Abu Dhabi is transforming a desert location from rolling, towering sand dunes into a site for the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant. The General Manager of Shams Power Company has been reported saying that the new solar plant will be completed and in operation by the end of this year, and the plant will be able to provide the UAE capital with power at commercial prices.

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Yingli commits 1 MW of solar for low-income homes in California

Yingli Green Energy renewed a partnership with nonprofit solar installer Grid Alternatives for this year to provide lower-income families with renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training. Yingli, one of the world's largest photovoltaic manufacturers, started partnering with the nonprofit last year as the latter’s first official solar module provider, with the task to supply 1 megawatt’s worth of electricity.

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Canadian Solar raises fourth-quarter PV shipment guidance

Canadian Solar Inc. said it sees shipments for the fourth quarter rising to the range of 430 to 440 megawatts, or up by 22 percent compared with the previous guidance of 340 to 360 MW for the period ending December 31. In a press release, the company said it saw a steady increase in its order book and a growing demand from customers. Shawn Qu, chief executive, said the company recently signed a deal to develop nine utility-scale solar projects in Ontario.

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26.5 gigawatts of PV capacity installed in 2011

The international solar power industry entered 2012 at a positive note, coming from a record performance last year, according to organizers of Intersolar Europe 2012. A total of 26.5 gigawatts’ worth of photovoltaic capacity was reportedly installed worldwide in 2011, capable of generating 18 billion kilowatt-hours of power.

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Australia’s largest planned PV farm stalls on financing hurdles

The winning consortium for what could have been one of the world’s largest solar photovoltaic projects, under Australia’s Solar Flagships Program, was not able to meet financing obligations to get federal funding. A statement from the office of Australia’s minister for resources, energy and tourism Martin Ferguson said that Moree Solar Farm, the group whose project was chosen under the first round of the government’s 1.5 billion Australian dollar ($1.625 billion) solar effort, was not able to meet the program’s funding conditions.

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Yingli enters 200-MW PV supply deal with Germany’s IBC Solar

Chinese solar manufacturer Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. entered a supply agreement with Germany’s IBC Solar A.G. to deliver up to 200 megawatts of multi- and mono-crystalline solar photovoltaic modules this year. The modules will be installed at various projects in Germany and other European countries.

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Wells Fargo, Enfinity team up with $100 million solar fund

San Francisco-based banking and commercial investment services provider Wells Fargo will be providing a $100-million fund to finance solar photovoltaic projects that Atlanta-based Enfinity America Corp. will develop. “Our continued commitment to the U.S. solar market is a reflection of the opportunity Wells Fargo sees in this growing sector,” said Barry Neal, head of Wells Fargo’s Environmental Finance Group.

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Dubai launches $3.3 billion solar farm to generate 1 GW

The Supreme Council of Energy for Dubai has confirmed plans to build the country’s first utility-scale solar power plant over the next two decades at an estimated cost of 12 billion Dirham ($3.27 billion). Named after Dubai’s Vice President and Prime Minister, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park will be built in two phases. Using solar photovoltaic panels, it will initially produce 10 megawatts by 2013 and be brought up to a 1,000 MW final capacity by 2030.

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LDK secures $64 million from China Development Bank for U.S. projects

LDK Solar’s 70 percent-owned SPI Solar has a total of $64 million in funding from the China Development Bank to build solar sites in New Jersey and California. SPI secured $44 million in construction financing from the Beijing-based development bank for large-scale photovoltaic projects it’s building for New Jersey-based developer KDC Solar.

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Texas’ largest solar power plant activated

The 30-megawatt, 380-acre Webberville Solar Project, Austin Energy’s first utility-scale PV unit and the largest in Texas, was switched on last December 20. The project, owned by Gemini Solar Development Corp., is among the largest of its kind in the United States. Located in Travis County, approximately 15 miles east of Austin in Webberville, it comprises more than 127,000 270-watt solar PV modules mounted on single-axis trackers. The panels were supplied by Trina Solar.

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