Aide Solar Expands U.S. Market Reach with Green Fuel Solar Distribution Agreement

SAN FRANCISCO, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersolar North America -- Aide Solar, a large-scale producer of photovoltaic modules, today announced it has entered into a distribution agreement with Green Fuel Solar, an alternative energy company involved in the sales and installation of residential and commercial solar and electric systems in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Nevada. The distribution agreement with Green Fuel Solar is expected to be the first of several agreements to be signed by Aide Solar as it expands its U.S. market reach following the recent opening of its North American headquarters in Tempe, Arizona.

"Green Fuel Solar has an established channel to market and business approach that focuses on adding value to the customer throughout the sales process," said Raymond C. Wiley, director, North America Sales, Aide Solar, U.S.A. "Their design and engineering expertise combined with an outstanding reputation in the industry makes Green Fuel Solar an excellent fit as our first distribution partner. We look forward to building a long-term relationship that will help drive growth for both companies in the coming years."

Aide Solar is a subsidiary of The Panjit Group, a broad based manufacturer of leading-edge technologies headquartered in Taiwan with a semiconductor fabrication facility in Tempe, Arizona. The Panjit Group's U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facility offers Aide Solar a future path for a vertically integrated business model as well as a robust new product development pipeline.

"Aide Solar's U.S.-based inventory provides a quality, local source of photovoltaic modules which translates into a shorter time-to-market and eliminates shipping costs for the small-to-mid-size installer network," said Dustin Hamby, president Green Fuel Solar. "This agreement provides us with the ability to expand our customer base for the commercial, residential and utility scale markets and execute our aggressive expansion plans in the coming months."

Green Fuel Solar offers professional solar Power Purchase Agreements, modeling, project funding and design services for a wide array of solar applications including residential and commercial system design. These services include solar project feasibility studies, structural and electrical engineering, system performance projections, financial performance projections, plans drafting, building permit application submittals, and the writing of solar RFPs. Green Fuel Solar is also offering any installer using Aide Solar modules an Installer warranty reimbursement to cover any manufacturing defects or service costs.

For more information on Aide Solar, please visit the company July 14-17 at Intersolar America, booth #8417, Moscone Center, San Francisco. InterSolar is the most diverse international business-to-business trade show in the United States for the global solar industry.

Yingli Green Energy Establishes Regional Headquarters in New York City and San Francisco

BAODING, China, NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, July 15 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy"), one of the world's leading vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") product manufacturers, today announced the opening of coastal U.S. headquarters in New York City and San Francisco.

Yingli Green Energy expects that these two regional headquarters in the U.S. will enhance support for the Company's growing North American customer base and facilitate the formation of new partnerships across the solar value chain in North America.

"Given the vast potential and rapid growth of the U.S. solar market, it is imperative for us to have a strong presence on both coasts of the country," commented Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "Our top-notch U.S. team has the technical expertise, business experience and proven track record necessary to drive success for our partners and customers. We are confident that our strong on-the-ground capability will play a crucial role in the development of our North American business in the years to come."

In order to strength Yingli Green Energy's business in North America, the Company has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Americas, Inc. ("Yingli Americas"), which is led by Robert Petrina, a solar industry veteran with nearly a decade of international business development experience in the PV industry. Previously with General Electric's solar division, Robert has been with Yingli Green Energy for two years. Yingli Americas' operations and customer support team will be led by Brian Grenko, and Mathew Sachs will lead its business development team.

Yingli Green Energy's East Coast headquarters will be located in mid-town Manhattan. In addition to providing renewed support for the growing solar industry, the New York office will serve as a direct link to the financial community targeting renewable investments.

"Through PlaNYC, our comprehensive sustainability plan, and our Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, New York City is taking major steps to promote green manufacturing and green finance," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Yingli Green Energy's East Coast Headquarters will create green jobs, make it easier to invest in innovative technology and help our city become more efficient and sustainable."

Yingli Green Energy's West Coast headquarters will be located in San Francisco's financial district and will provide support to customers throughout the procurement, installation and operation stages of solar modules.

"We are proud to welcome Yingli Americas to San Francisco. Their choice to locate in San Francisco is yet another affirmation of our ChinaSF initiative strategy," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "San Francisco offers a leading hub of clean technology firms, top-notch talent, concentrated consumer demand for cleantech, proximity to the Pacific Rim and access to the North American market. Chinese firms, like Yingli Green Energy, bring the rising strength of Chinese entrepreneurship, their rapidly growing industry expertise, and the ability to take these innovations to mass scale."

The opening of the New York and San Francisco offices is Yingli Green Energy's latest step toward expanding its operations in North America and will help support and promote the Company's expanded U.S. product offerings which now include five families of high quality UL certified PV modules ranging in size from 175 watt to 280 watt.

Carmanah Partners with frog design to Introduce the Next Generation of solar-LED Area Lights

VICTORIA, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carmanah Technologies (TSX: CMH) has signed an agreement with frog design inc. to introduce the next benchmark in solar-LED area lighting. Established in 1969, frog design is a global innovation firm that has pioneered some of the world’s most groundbreaking designs for trendsetting companies such as Apple, Disney, HP, Louis Vuitton, Logitech, Microsoft, and Sony.

\"Exploring the possibilities for the next generation of solar powered lighting is an exciting design challenge,” noted Doreen Lorenzo, president of frog design. “Alternative energy solutions are a big part of the future of the field of innovation. We’re excited to be partnering with industry leaders like Carmanah.”

Built on nearly two decades of experience developing self-contained solar-LED lanterns and beacons for the marine and aviation industries, Carmanah’s solar-powered street, parking lot and pathway lights help businesses and communities introduce outdoor area lighting wherever it’s needed, without trenching, cabling, grid access, or a monthly utility bill. With more than a quarter of a million units deployed, Carmanah products are widely used and recognized around the world for durability, performance and dependability — operating safely and reliably in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

For this significant new product, Carmanah is committed to introducing a trend-setting design that incorporates the unique benefits of today’s photovoltaic, LED and lighting technology. “With solar energy more attractive than ever, I believe our technology is fast approaching the tipping point between industry innovation and widespread acceptance,” said Ted Lattimore, Carmanah CEO. “Thanks to the amazing capabilities of today’s solar-LED technology, solar-LED lighting can offer convenience without compromise — as an affordable, high-performance alternative to traditional wired systems. Today’s high-output LEDs produce more light for less power, so batteries, panels and support structures can be smaller and lighter than ever before,” said Lattimore. “That’s why we’re so excited to work with the creative professionals at frog design; together we can deliver a powerful new lighting alternative that’s high performance, low maintenance, and great looking — day or night.”

Intended for streets, parking lots, pathways and more, Carmanah’s next-gen standalone solar-LED light is scheduled for a global product launch in 2010. For more information on solar LED lighting, visit www.carmanah.com.

Martifer Solar’s 50MW Automated Module Production Line Completed

BEDFORD, Mass. & OLIVEIRA DE FRADES, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Martifer Solar, located in Portugal, and Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR), located in Bedford, Massachusetts, jointly announced that Martifer Solar accepted last month Spire’s 50 megawatt (MW) per year automated module production. Both Spire and Martifer are fully satisfied with the performance of the Portuguese company’s photovoltaic (PV) factory. The fully automated turnkey module manufacturing line uses robotic systems for material handling and processing.

Mr. Leandro Bento, Factory Manager of Martifer Solar, said, “It is complex to establish a high-tech automated factory. We are pleased with the support that we received from Spire to reach our designated goals and to achieve unequivocal acceptance. This line makes Martifer Solar one of the most efficient manufacturers in the solar industry and we are proud to have completed our first two megawatts of PV module production.”

Mr. Roger G. Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation, stated, “This line is completely automated, making it one of the most advanced module factories in the world. We combined Spire’s process knowledge with our state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and the latest in robotics and automation. The result is a high speed, high yield cost effective production line producing top quality PV modules.”

Spire has successfully automated the steps that are typically done manually. These included automation of string bussing, encapsulate trimming, module framing, junction box attachment, hi-pot testing and module simulation characterization. For this project, Spire subcontracted with KUKA Systems GmbH in Germany. The quality robots and engineering expertise provided by KUKA were critical in the success of the program.

SVTC, Roth & Rau Announce Solar Technology Collaboration

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Responding to emerging opportunities in the U.S. solar market as well as economic stimulus funding, SVTC Technologies and Roth & Rau have renewed and expanded their partnership and are establishing a 30 megawatt (MW) world-class photovoltaic (PV) development and manufacturing center located in California’s Silicon Valley in the City of San Jose. SVTC Technologies is a provider of technology development and commercialization services to global semiconductor-based clients, and Roth & Rau is a world-leading solar equipment manufacturer based in Germany.

Through the new 30 MW Silicon Valley Photovoltaic Development Center, SVTC and Roth & Rau will offer a full range of manufacturing equipment and services to companies engaged in the development and production of solar cells.

Changing conditions favor solar success

Worldwide, the solar PV market is expected to reach $34 billion by 2013. The economic stimulus bill, signed into law in February 2009, is making billions of dollars available through the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) for renewable energy investment in U.S. companies, including those engaged in solar energy development and manufacturing.

During 2008, almost $4 billion was invested in solar technologies. However, with the recent market down-turn, most solar development companies in the U.S., including both start-ups and established firms, do not have access to either the capital equipment or cost-effective, complete development solutions they need to succeed. Without such access, it is unlikely that most U.S. solar start-ups can survive more than two years, or that established companies will thrive and reach their potential.

“Our relationship with Roth & Rau, developed over a year ago, has enabled SVTC to respond rapidly to new opportunities resulting from changing market conditions and stimulus funding for solar energy development by the US government,” said Joe Bronson, CEO of SVTC Technologies. “SVTC has proven the value of its business model of providing equipment and development capabilities for the commercialization of products in the semiconductor portion of its business. We will adapt the same concept to the emerging US solar business to accelerate its ability to grow the market for solar cells. We are delighted to move forward with a strong partner of Roth & Rau\'s standing and expertise and we both expect to accelerate the commercialization process in solar cell development while providing significant cost abatement to the industry resulting from their ability to access a world-class manufacturing line instead of investing considerable sums in their own pilot production facilities.”

“The timing is right for a big push into the U.S. market for solar technologies, especially in California and Silicon Valley,” said Dietmar Roth, CEO of Roth & Rau AG. “By partnering with SVTC, Roth & Rau will gain access to the nation’s highest concentration of solar product development companies as well as establish a high-profile presence in Silicon Valley. We are very enthusiastic about the market for PV development and manufacturing in the U.S., which we believe is poised for rapid growth.”

SVTC and Roth & Rau have significantly expanded the scope of their original plans for the Silicon Valley Photovoltaic Development Center, increasing the capacity of the manufacturing line from 5 MW to 30 MW, to meet the greater demand from solar development companies.

The Silicon Valley Photovoltaic Development Center, which is scheduled to be operational by Q1 2010, will offer a full range of low-cost development solutions along with the 30 MW solar cell production line. The manufacturing line will consist of state-of-the-art Roth & Rau equipment and will also include tools from other world-class solar equipment suppliers.

Solar Energy Initiatives Forms Alliance with Community Rehabilitation Center to Retrain Displaced Workers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. (OTCBB:SNRY) today announced that the Company has formed a strategic partnership with Community Rehabilitation Center (CRC), a Jacksonville-based nonprofit vocational training facility, to train local residents for solar energy installation and maintenance jobs.

The collaboration with CRC illustrates Solar Energy Initiatives’ nationwide grass roots campaign, “RENEW THE NATION,” to help redeploy a portion of the U.S. work force and focus on reducing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels by selling solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) technologies.

CRC and Solar Energy Initiatives have applied for economic stimulus dollars provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to fund the training of as many as 100 unemployed workers per month in Jacksonville. Those selected by CRC will undergo training by Solar Energy Initiatives’ certified solar energy technology trainers. Northwest Support Services, a for-profit company affiliated with CRC, will assist in finding employment for the graduates of the program.

“We are honored to partner with CRC and Northwest Support Services as we collaboratively seek to answer President Obama’s call to rebuild our economy with alternative energy technologies,” said David Fann, Chief Executive Officer of Solar Energy Initiatives. “We are excited to assist in retraining Jacksonville workers as we continue to pursue our business model of expanding our distributor base, increase market presence and achieve our overall goal of improved shareholder value. The goal is to duplicate this program across the state as well as the nation.”

Reginald Gaffney, CRC’s Executive Director and CEO, stated, “We look forward to working with Solar Energy Initiatives and its Renew the Nation campaign. I am convinced that this new strategic partnership will yield significant benefits for that segment of our community that has been deeply impacted by the economic downturn by offering training for jobs in the new economy.”