Germany Doubles Electric Vehicle Research and Development Aid

Bloomberg reports, “the German government announced an additional 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in research and development aid for electric vehicles, doubling its budget by 2013 in a bid to position itself at the technology’s vanguard. Tax rebates, dedicated parking spots and measures aimed at promoting government use of electric cars are among the other [...]

Google Invests in Solar Power Plant Together with Capital Stage AG

According to the press release, “Google is co-operating with Capital Stage AG from Hamburg / Germany on making its first investment in renewable energies in Europe. In this context, Capital Stage is selling 49% of the recently acquired 18.7 MW solar power plant in Brandenburg to Google. Technically, the investment still needs to be ratified [...]

Germany to raise bioethanol content in gasoline

According to Reuters, “the German cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to raise the maximum level of bioethanol allowed in blended gasoline to 10 percent from 5 percent now, the government said in a statement. The change will take place from January 2011, the statement said. Analysts said on Monday the increase would help boost [...]

Germany could see solar power cap: BlackRock

Reuters reports that, “Rising costs for solar power in Germany could either trigger a further large cut in sector subsidies or a cap on new installations in the world’s No.1 solar market, a BlackRock fund manager said. Power transmission grid operators are obligated to pay feed-in tariffs (FIT) to producers of solar power, which are [...]

Elster Group SE Files Registration Statement for IPO

According to the press release, “Elster Group SE, one of the world’s largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers with products and solutions widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets, today announced that it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a [...]

ARISE Technologies Announces Canadian JV with Sky Solar (Canada) Ltd.

According to the press release, “ARISE Technologies Corporation, a leader in high-performance, high-quality, cost-effective solar technology, today announced that it has established a joint venture (JV) with Sky Solar (Canada) Ltd. (“SKY SOLAR”) to provide engineering, procurement and contracting (“EPC”) services for solar projects under the Ontario FIT program. Under the terms of the agreement, [...]

Evergreen Solar Made Panels Powering Eight-Megawatt Solar Power Plant in Germany

Evergreen Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLR), a manufacturer of STRING RIBBON™ solar power products with its proprietary silicon wafer manufacturing technology, announced today that an 8-megawatt power plant in Neustrelitz, Germany used more than 7 megawatts of panels manufactured by Evergreen Solar. It is Evergreen Solar’s largest installation in company history. The project, which was designed [...]

German tariff cuts to spark solar sector downturn

According to Reuters, “A potential deep cut in feed-in tariffs in Germany will hit solar companies around the world and increases pressure on large players to reduce exposure to the world’s largest photovoltaic market. Analysts say that lower prices could result in a shakeout in the industry that drives higher cost players out of business [...]

Solar Business – Ups and Downs

While green technology has taken off around the world, in several areas the concentration of an environmentally friendly ideal has truly sprouted wings. While the enlightened masses try their best to do their part to stave off global warming and reduce their carbon footprint, for some it is simply not enough. There is now a [...]

Germany wins Solar Decathlon

Green architecture has become a growing industry, changing the urban landscape in many different ways. Everything from roof-top gardens to buildings that utilize environmentally friendly building materials in construction and solar panels for electricity needs have become nearly common-place. The more adventurous of architects have taken pages out of the books of Wright and Gehry [...]

German solar industry counts on new government backing

Reuters reports, “Germany’s solar industry can look ahead to continued state support despite a victory by center-right parties that are widely expected to cut subsidies, senior sector figures told Reuters on Monday. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives (CDU) and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) secured a parliamentary majority on Sunday, enabling Merkel to end her awkward [...]