X
Innovation

The Morning Briefing: Solar power plants, the renewable industry

"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about the solar power industry.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about the solar power industry.

1.) Solar Frontier and Belectric form joint venture for solar power plants. Germany-based Belectric and Japan-based Solar Frontier, the world's largest solar EPC and largest manufacturer of CIS thin-film solar modules, have announced they have formed a new joint venture company, PV CIStems GmbH & Co. KG. The company will develop ground and roof-mounted photovoltaic power plants.

2.) U.S. solar to get Obama aid in battle with China. Obama's administration is expected to throw its weight behind United States-based solar panel producers in their battle against low priced imports from China. They say that these imports threaten the future of the U.S. industry.

3.) Concentrating Solar Power Alliance aims to educate U.S. lawmakers on how new solar energy technology works. Three of the world's leading solar energy companies launched the Concentrating Solar Power Alliance (CSPA). The aim is to educate U.S. regulators and lawmakers on the benefits of concentrating solar power.

4.) Germany’s $270 billion renewables shift biggest since war. Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to build offshore wind farms that will cover an area six times the size of New York City. The program will cost 200 billion euros ($268 billion), a third of annual gross domestic product, according to the DIW economic institute in Berlin.

5.) Insurers sell services for mega solar plants. Insurance companies are increasing sales activities for products that hedge risks associated with starting solar power generation businesses. As the reactivation of idled nuclear power reactors remains uncertain, the insurance products may boost the proliferation of mega solar power plants.

Bonus: NextDC taps solar power for datacentres

Image credit: R.Walker

Related:

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

Editorial standards