20110616 1038 Renewable Energy Related News.

HANWEI TO SELL WIND POWER EQUIPMENT INVENTORY, SHARES UP
June 14 (Reuters) - Hanwei Energy Services Corp  said it agreed to sell most of its wind power equipment inventory to a Chinese customer for up to C$18 million ($18.4 million), sending its shares up 12 percent.
The company, which has a market capitalization of about C$17 million, said it received an initial amount of C$3 million from the customer and will get another C$1.5 million on completion of a final detailed inventory valuation.

PHILIPPINES LIFTS 2030 RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET
MANILA, June 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines is set to award up to 80 permits this month to local and foreign firms to explore potential renewable energy sites as it aims to triple its clean-power capacity to account for half of its energy needs within 20 years.
The National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP), launched on Tuesday,  aims to increase renewable energy capacity to 15,400 MW by 2030 from about 5,400 MW at present, helping cut the country's dependence on imported oil.

WIND GENERATORS TO FIGHT BONNEVILLE POLICY AT US FERC
HOUSTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Frustrated owners of wind generation in the U.S. Pacific Northwest have complained to federal regulators about a Bonneville Power Administration policy that curtails their operations in times of low demand and low prices.
The largest snowpack since 1997 has boosted Northwest river levels and hydro output, complicating growing competition between hydro and wind interests in the region where Bonneville operates the lion's share of the high-voltage power network.

MITSUBISHI PLANS TO BUILD SOLAR POWER PLANTS IN JAPAN- NIKKEI
June 14 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Corp  is looking to build large-scale solar power plants in Japan, ahead of the start of a national feed-in tariff program, the Nikkei business daily said.
The company has selected Kumamoto Prefecture as a prospective site. The facility would have an output of more than 1 megawatt, with an initial investment of about 600-700 million yen ($7.5-$8.7 million) per megawatt, the Nikkei said.

ITALY RENEWABLE SHARES BOOSTED BY NUCLEAR VOTE
MILAN, June 13 (Reuters) - Shares of Italian renewable energy companies rose on Monday as a vote against the reintroduction of nuclear power generation in Italy grew increasingly likely.
"I think most of the shortfall in power supply (from the lack of nuclear) will come from more gas but for sure there'll be more renewables," UniCredit analyst Javier Suarez said.

IBERIA SPOT POWER REBOUNDS ON WIND POWER SLUMP
MADRID, June 10 (Reuters) - Iberian benchmark wholesale power recovered on Friday from falls in the previous session and bucked a pre-weekend downward trend due to a forecast drop in cheap and market-moving supplies of wind power.
National grid operator REE  expected Spanish wind parks to produce as little as 1,200 megawatts on Saturday, falling from 2,999 MW on Friday.

IBERIA SPOT POWER EASES ON EXPECTED WIND RECOVERY
MADRID, June 9 (Reuters) - Iberian benchmark wholesale power prices gave back some recent gains on Thursday due to forecasts that wind parks will work harder and boost supplies of cheap electricity to the grid.
Spain wind parks were due to raise output to 5,560 megawatts by peak hour on Friday from 1,511 MW on Thursday afternoon, or 4.1 percent of demand, according to estimates by national grid operator REE .

SUNTECH CEO SEES MARGIN EXPANSION, TO KEEP STAKE
MUNICH, June 9 (Reuters) - Suntech Power , the world's largest solar cell maker, expects its margins to expand this year, its chief executive said, adding he had no plans to sell his stake of about 30 percent in the company.
At a time when solar companies such as SunPower , LDK Solar  and SMA Solar  forecast shrinking profit margins due to falling module prices and oversupply, Suntech's Zhengrong Shi said he was confident the company could buck the trend.

GLOBAL RENEWABLE M&A DEALS UP 70 PCT IN 2010 -KPMG
LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - Mergers and acquisitions activity in the renewable energy sector surged 70 percent in 2010 and shows little sign of cooling off this year, a KPMG survey showed on Wednesday.
A total of 446 M&A deals were completed last year in the renewable energy sector, up 70 percent on the 260 deals closed in 2009, according to the U.S tax, audit and advisory firm.

FIRST SOLAR SEES SLIGHT RECOVERY IN ITALY - EXEC
MUNICH, June 8 (Reuters) - First Solar , the world's largest solar company by market value, added its voice on Wednesday to those pointing to a slight recovery in Italy, the industry's second-largest market.
"Demand has picked up spottily, but it has picked up from zero," TK Kallenbach, president of First Solar's components business, told a press conference at Intersolar, the world's largest solar trade show.