The Export-Import Bank of the United States has approved $61 million in loan guarantees to Seoul-based Gochang Solar Park Co. for buying solar panels from SolarWorld Industries America and building five power plants in Korea.

The loan guarantees allow Gochang Solar Park to borrow money from the Private Export Funding Corp. The financing includes the $10.2 million for constructing the power plants, the Ex-Im Bank said Wednesday. The loans are to be repaid in 13.5 years. The bank has provided loan guarantees for other solar business development before, including a $25 million credit line to United Solar Ovonic in Auburn Hills, Mich. last year. 

The bank, the export credit agency of...

Live blogging from the BIPV Summit in San Diego -- Stanford "Stan" Ovshinsky, now 86-years old, is the Yoda of the solar market. In his words, "I lived through the great depression but I didn't know what was that great about it." He, along with his wife, co-founded ECD in 1960 and are some of the pioneers of renewable energy technology. He's the inventor of ECD's flexible solar (triple junction a-Si) as well as many of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries used in today's electric vehicles. He has 400 U.S. patents. Ovshinsky was the keynote speaker at todays' BIPV summit in San Diego. Raised in the machine shops and factories of Akron Ohio in what was then the rubber...

The electric car phenomenon rolls on. Mitsubishi announced today that it will bring its i MiEV all-electric car to the U.S. The car will likely appear in Oregon first: the state of Oregon along with utility Portland General Electric are helping Mitsubishi by agreeing to build charging stations. Mitsubishi did not put deadlines on when it will bring the cars to the states, but it could be sooner rather than later. It will start releasing the cars in Japan in July. Shipping in July will mean that Mitsubishi will become the first company to ship a "practical" electric car. The company has a point there. Right now, you can buy a cheap electric car from Zenn that tops out at around...

The idea seemed really promising a few years ago. Ethanol producer Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to, among others, the Wall Street Journal. Last month, it warmed that this might happen if it couldn't raise further funds. The company lists $799 in assets and $491 in liabilities. "The ethanol industry currently suffers from poor operating margins as a result of supply exceeding existing demand, including the 2009 renewable fuel standard mandate," Aventine said. "Ethanol demand has been negatively affected by low gasoline prices, which has all but eliminated the discretionary consumption of ethanol." Chalk it up to...