Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

When I read the brief report about Micrel's contract manufacturing of solar cells in its San Jose semiconductor facility, I did a double take: "They're running PV wafers and semi wafers in the same fab?" I thought. "That doesn't happen too often." As it turns out, Micrel may be the only place where there's simultaneous volume processing of chips and photovoltaic solar cells, according to company VP of worldwide operations, Guy Gandenberger. Read more >>

As I scarfed my pasta during the lunch break at the mid-October press gathering at IMEC, Paul Heremans told me about the center's SOLAR+ Program's work in the organic photovoltaics (OPV) arena, including an upcoming paper at the Materials Research Society meeting about a spray-on deposition method: Not sprayed on with a spin-coating tool but deposited with an inexpensive airbrush nozzle like those used to paint cars! After swallowing my mouthful, I confirmed what Paul had said and asked what kind of conversion efficiencies the method had achieved. When he told me the numbers were between 2% and 3%---comparable to conventional techniques---I was intrigued. Read more >>

As I scarfed my pasta during the lunch break at the mid-October press gathering at IMEC, Paul Heremans told me about the center's SOLAR+ Program's work in the organic photovoltaics (OPV) arena, including an upcoming paper at the Materials Research Society meeting about a spray-on deposition method: Not sprayed on with a spin-coating tool but deposited with an inexpensive airbrush nozzle like those used to paint cars! After swallowing my mouthful, I confirmed what Paul had said and asked what kind of conversion efficiencies the method had achieved. When he told me the numbers were between 2% and 3%---comparable to conventional techniques---I was intrigued. Read more >>

One phrase sums up a key piece of Applied Materials' just-announced $330 million acquisition of privately held solar-tool manufacturer Baccini: automated ultra-thin-wafer handling. During Monday's conference call, Applied executives repeatedly referred to the Italian company's unparalleled capabilities in handling crystalline-silicon (c-Si) wafers less than 120 microns thick---some 30% below the industry thickness average. And the Baccini tools can process the thin slices with very low wafer-breakage rates, high yields, and solid efficiencies. Read more >>

While perusing the weekly stock-market wrap-up in the Los Angeles Times' business section on Saturday, I was struck by the prodigious increases (can you say, "bubble"?) in year-to-date share-price increases for several solar industry companies---despite the recent corrections/downturn in the markets Read more >>

Where would Cypress Semiconductor be without its majority-owned SunPower solar manufacturing unit? As of the parent company's third quarter ended Sept. 30, about $234 million lower in revenues, that's where. The photovoltaically focused subsidiary's sales topped its semiconductor sibling by about $19 million in the quarter (which brought in a bit more than $215 million), thus accounting for more than half of T.J. and Co.'s cash flow. Read more >>

Where would Cypress Semiconductor be without its majority-owned SunPower solar manufacturing unit? As of the parent company's third quarter ended Sept. 30, about $234 million lower in revenues, that's where. The photovoltaically focused subsidiary's sales topped its semiconductor sibling by about $19 million in the quarter (which brought in a bit more than $215 million), thus accounting for more than half of T.J. and Co.'s cash flow. Read more >>

From the first time I saw it listed in the advance agenda, I looked forward to the Advanced Cell Technology panel at Solar Power 2007. Read more >>

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