Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news

Follow us on Twitter
Latest Edition

Top Story

PV-TECH’S TOP 10 STORIES OF 2009

Every year we dig deep into the archive of web statistics to rediscover the most popular news stories that have captured the attention of readers in that year. In previous years, one or two stories stand out above all others for the most page views; however, this year more than four stories have been in close contention for the ‘top spot’ and barely a cat's whisker separates the Number 1 and Number 2 stories. In what could be a look into the real future battle of thin film, the top story for 2009 was about Nanosolar announcing its volume production plans for its unique CIGS thin film modules. A certain level of controversy had surrounded Nanosolar as the early hype had not been followed up with any concrete plans for scaling the technology and demonstrating with an order backlog that the thin film start-up could actually compete with market leader, First Solar.

Read more >>

News

Project Focus: Switch flipped on enXco’s Belle Mead, NJ, 1.8MW CdTe solar PV power system

30 December 2009 | Thin Film, CdTe , Power Generation

enxco_logoCommercial operation of the 1.8MW (DC) Belle Mead solar project in New Jersey has begun. System owner-operator enXco said that the photovoltaic installation, located on the grounds of Carrier Clinic in the town of Belle Mead, will supply 50% of the health-care facility's electrical needs under the terms of a 25-year power purchase agreement.

Read more >>

Project Focus: SunEdison to build, run five 10MW solar power plants for Xcel unit in New Mexico

30 December 2009 | Power Generation

sunedison_groundmountSunEdison will design and construct five ground-mounted solar photovoltaic power plants that will generate a total of 50MW (AC) in New Mexico for Southwestern Public Service, a regional operating company of Xcel Energy. The five 10MW sites will be located in Lea and Eddy counties in the southeastern part of the state and will be fully operational by the end of 2011, the companies said.

Read more >>

Tianwei New Energy takes majority stake in Hoku; construction resumes on Pocatello polysilicon plant

29 December 2009 | Fab and Facilities, Materials

hoku_plantFinancially strapped polysilicon start-up Hoku Scientific and Tianwei New Energy Holdings have closed the deal giving Tianwei a majority investment in Hoku. As a result of the agreement, Hoku has issued orders to resume full-scale construction of its poly plant in Pocatello, ID, and authorize the shipment of equipment that had been placed on hold pending Hoku's receipt of financing.

Read more >>

Motech to buy GE Energy solar module production plant in Delaware

29 December 2009 | Fab and Facilities, PV Modules

ge_energy_modulesMotech has signed an agreement to buy GE Energy’s solar photovoltaic module assembly operation located in Newark, DE. The 34MW-capacity crystalline silicon PV panel plant, which GE bought from AstroPower in 2004 and planned to close down next year, employs 75 people.

Read more >>

CPV firm Amonix buys Sunworks Solar, adds to management team as part of deal

22 December 2009 | Power Generation

amonix_prescott_installationHigh-concentration photovoltaics firm Amonix has completed the acquisition of Sunworks Solar, adding much of the newly acquired company's management team in the process. Sunworks cofounder and former SunEdison head Brian Robertson becomes CEO of Amonix, Sunworks cofounder Guy Blanchard joins the CPV company as SVP of sales and corporate development, and Matthew Meares, former Sunworks managing director, takes on the role of director of project finance.

Read more >>

Project Focus: Colexon-developed 2.4MW rooftop solar PV power systems commissioned at BMG facility

22 December 2009 | Power Generation

Ohio names recipients for $6M in pending Third Frontier PV Program awards

22 December 2009 | Market Watch

LG Electronics to start production on 120MW solar-cell line in January

Solar EnerTech’s PV panels get safety certification from TÜV Rheinland

22 December 2009 | PV Modules

Project Focus: Evergreen Solar’s panels get nod for 525KW rooftop PV installation at Patriot Place

22 December 2009 | Power Generation | Comments (1)

Blogs

Solar rules! New list of proposed renewable energy projects in California has gigawatts of potential

31 December 2009 | Chip Shots

caltech_parking_pvEver wonder how many large-scale renewable energy projects might be on the drawing board in California? Thanks to the latest announcement from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, we now have a round number—244. Although the “comprehensive list” of proposed projects does not include every solar, wind, geothermal, or other clean energy system planned for the Golden State, it does offer a peek at nearly 70GW of green-powered possibilities that would push toward meeting the Guv’s renewable portfolio standard goal of 33% by 2020. And guess what: the vast majority of those projects and gigawatts would rely on our favorite inexhaustible feedstock—the sun.

Read more >>

Happy solstice: Solyndra files for IPO, could become next CIGS pure-play to go public (corrected)

19 December 2009 | Chip Shots

solyndraCIGS could soon have a new name and face on Wall Street--Solyndra. While much of the business community was sipping egg nog and eating Christmas cookies at office parties or buying armloads of presents on the final Friday before the coming holiday, Solyndra filed an S-1 registration statement for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The purveyor of cylindrical copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide thin-film photovoltaics will trade under the symbol “SOLY,” according to SEC documents, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley running the book on the proposed offering, joining Ascent Solar and DayStar as the only publically traded CIGS pure-play companies. CEO Chris Gronet and his team have come a long way in a short time since emerging from stealth mode with a splash a little more than a year ago, and the prospectus filed as part of the S-1 provides a new level of granularity about the progress and plans of the company.

Read more >>

More solar with a Midwest flavor: GlobalWatt chooses Saginaw for 100MW PV module factory

17 December 2009 | Chip Shots

globalwatt_logoIn yet another sign of the American Midwest becoming a solar production hub, GlobalWatt has chosen to build its first photovoltaic panel factory in Saginaw, MI. The company has been lured by an attractive package of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of employment and business tax benefits offered by state and local agencies. The plan is for some $177 million to be spent on the facility over the next three to five years, which should result in the creation of at least 500 new jobs. GlobalWatt's Rohit Arora talks about the company and its plans for the 100MW factory in the latest blog.

Read more >>

Australia shapes up FiT policies: national gross system on the horizon? (Updated)

16 December 2009 | Editor's Blog

Premier Mike Rann

As we progress further into what will soon be 2010 - 'the year solar PV will take off', more changes are being made in the world of photovoltaics in Australia. This country has seen many changes to its renewable situation during 2009, with new feed-in tariffs announced, improved and tweaked as the continent moves towards its goal of a nationwide gross feed-in tariff scheme.

Read more >>

Capacity conundrum: Are thin-film PV companies at a disadvantage versus the cheap silicon crowd?

15 December 2009 | Chip Shots | Comments (3)

German PV subsidy cuts: yes no…oh yes!

11 December 2009 | Editor's Blog

PV power play: ATS’ Photowatt Ontario hopes to take advantage, score big in province’s solar market

11 December 2009 | Chip Shots

Let’s hear it for the feed-in tariff

09 December 2009 | Editor's Blog | Comments (2)

Organic PV reality check: NREL’s Keith Emery cautions against irrational exuberance

08 December 2009 | Chip Shots | Comments (2)

Going Places

Production head Prem Nath to retire from Ascent Solar

30 December 2009

ascent_prem_nathOne of the prime movers in Ascent Solar's efforts to develop roll-to-roll commercial manufacturing of the company's flexible CIGS thin-film PV modules is retiring. Prem Nath, Ascent's senior VP of production operations, will leave the firm on Jan. 15, 2010. He will continue to work with the company as a consultant.

Read more >>

Florian Holzapfel will take over as CEO of Q-Cells subsidiary, Calyxo

21 December 2009

Florian Holzapfel Florian Holzapfel, an executive board member of Q-Cells since 2006, will now take over as CEO of Calyxo, a subsidiary of Q-Cells SE Germany, effective the beginning of 2010.  

Read more >>

SolarCity names new chief financial officer

18 December 2009

SolarCity has announced that David White has been brought on as the company's chief financial officer. With over 20 years of experience in executive-level financial management, White will oversee financing and accounting functions. The new appointment has come just as the company passes 5,000 customers and introduces operations in Colorado.

Read more >>

Product Briefings

New Product: SolarEdge’s power harvesting system targets 25% energy improvements

16 December 2009 | Power Generation

Product Briefing Outline: SolarEdge Technologies distributed DC power harvesting systems maximizes power generation of residential and large-scale PV sites by up to 25 percent, while reducing costs and complexities for panel manufactures, systems integrators, installers and owners.

Read more >>

New Product: Schenk Vision’s I-V Curve Tracer enables correlation of optical inspection

16 December 2009 | Thin Film, Silicon TF

Product Briefing Outline: Schenk Vision has launched the I-V Curve Tracer from the SolarMeasure product family that enables correlation of optical inspection and efficiency tests (I-V curve) for thin-film PV production lines. Schenk has developed a new technology that is complimentary to flashers but enables an early feedback on the module efficiency.

Read more >>

New Product: OTB and Trident collaborate on inkjet printhead integration for cell processing

16 December 2009 | Cell Processing

Product Briefing Outline: OTB Solar and Trident Solar have announced a partnership in which Trident’s proprietary ‘256Jet-S’ inkjet printhead technology will be integrated into OTB Solar’s ‘PixDro’ open architecture inkjet platforms. These will include integration into its ‘LP50’ research and development tool and the ‘Elements’ pilot or full production systems.  The Trident inkjet printhead combined with OTB Solar´s specialty software allows the enhanced LP50 and Elements systems to provide what is claimed to be the most cost-effective and precise deposition of ‘jettable’ materials available for solar applications.

Read more >>

Cart

There appears to be nothing in your cart!

Partners