Balqon Corporation, a developer of electric drive system technology for commercial vehicles, announced that it has entered into a Joint Development Agreement with Polar Power Inc. to develop series plug in hybrid system for its line of heavy duty electric trucks and buses. Under this Agreement both companies will work towards development of a 40 kw on-board DC hybrid generator to charge batteries during daily drive cycle to increasing the range of the vehicles.- The Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) has signed a Partnership Agreement with the Government of Ethiopia to enable both countries to work together in geothermal development and capacity building. The Geological Survey of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will be leading the program. The agreement has been initiated under an Iceland – World Bank compact on geothermal energy. The project in Ethiopia is the second to be initiated by ICEIDA following one in Rwanda. Ethiopia has geothermal potential of 5000 MW but only limited geothermal development has taken place so far.
- Solar Power World has released its Top 250 Solar Contractors. Top of the list is First Solar followed by #2 SolarCity, #3 E Light Wind and Solar, #4 Swinerton Renewable Energy and #5 Quanta Power Generation. Click here to see the full list.
- Scatec Solar, a global solar energy provider, had its 75 MW solar PV plant, Kalkbult, in the Northern Cape region connected to the regional grid Friday, three months ahead of schedule, making the power plant the first REIPPPP project to be grid connected and operational in South Africa. Scatec Solar was awarded the Kalkbult project under the first round of the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP). The completed plant consists of more than 312 000 solar panels mounted on 156 km of substructure, inverters, transformers and a HV sub-station. The power from the grid-connected PV plant will be sold through a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom, the national utility company.
