Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News
Top Story
Suntech halts capacity expansion: slashes capital spending for 2009
Suntech Power Holdings has reacted to the seasonal slowdown and tight credit conditions for customers by halting planned capacity expansions and cutting capital spending from US$300 million in 2008 to only US$80 million in 2009. Suntech reiterated that it would reach a nominal capacity of 1GW by the end of 2008. However, the company said that further planned increases would be halted for 2009. Previously, Suntech had planned to reach a nominal capacity of 1.4GW in 2009 and 2GW in 2010. Nominal capacity reached in 3Q08 was 750MW.
News
Suntech’s ‘SunFab’ line near completion
Suntech Power Holdings first thin film line using Applied Materials ‘SunFab’ turnkey technology will complete installation by the end of the year, noted Dr. Stuart Wenham, Suntech’s Chief Technology Officer, during a conference call with financial analysts.
IBC SOLAR connects to Spanish electricity network
In September 2008 IBC SOLAR’s “Renova” power plant connected to the Spanish electricity network. The project is located at two different Spanish sites: Castuera and Valverde. Since the beginning of 2008, IBC SOLAR’s subsidiary FOTOVOLTAICA IBC S.A. has installed over 20,000 solar panels with a total power generation of 4.6MWp at the two sites.
ProLogis undertakes first PV project in Japan
ProLogis has announced plans to install its first one-megawatt PV system in Japan at its ProLogis Parc Zama I, a five-story distribution facility of more than 1.2 million square metres. Located in the city of Zama, the PV system has an anticipated completion date for sometime in the second quarter of 2009.
Signet Solar’s Mochau, Germany facility ships initial customer orders for thin-film modules
Signet Solar has produced and shipped its first MW of panels from its Mochau, Germany manufacturing facility only one month after it became the first licensee of Applied Material’s SunFab thin-film modules. The first shipments are being sent to Hannover-based alfsolar Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH. Other Signet customers include Phoenix Solar AG, Soleg GmbH, Goldbeck Solar GmbH and SolarMarkt AG.
WACKER SCHOTT Solar to build new wafer plant to meet huge demand
Sputnik Engineering opening new production facility in Biel, Switzerland
Satcon signs three-year 180MW agreement with Samsung
Blogs
Thermal Technology turns up the heat on solar PV polysilicon furnaces
When Matt Mede bought Thermal Technology last year, he had an idea for an application that "was perfect for the company's capabilities and know-how": the solar photovoltaic polysilicon furnace market. "It fits right in with the size of our systems, the type of heating, the atmospheric conditions, and the automation," says the company CEO/president. After a year of development work and about a million dollars in R&D outlay to perfect the technology and move forward with manufacturing, evidently Thermal Tech's first solar customer thinks so too.
Suntech America’s Roger Efird talks about manufacturing in the U.S., solar supply chain, and more
Suntech releases its financial results before the markets open tomorrow, yet another benchmark solar company announcement during this very active earnings season. Three months ago, when the company's founder/chairman/CEO Zhengrong Shi looked ahead, he could not foresee the increasing turmoil in and pressure on the global financial markets nor the firm's plumetting share price. During an interview with Roger Efird, president of Suntech America, at Solar Power International last month, his crystal ball was not functioning, but he still had some interesting comments to make about Suntech and the industry.
MiaSolé gets in touch with its inner cap, AMAT makes solar money, and First Solar’s IPO anniversary
Photonic convergence: Earnings season, China PV heebee geebies, CIGS gets Time nod, and more
Photosynthesis meets photovoltaics: Perpetual Power installs ‘solar orchard’ at Limoneira
Going Places
Trina Solar appoints new executives
Trina Solar has announced the appointments of new executives in the company. Dr. Suping Chen has been named VP of Manufacturing, East Campus, Dr. Qiang Huang is VP of Technology and Steven (Yu) Zhu is VP of International Procurement and Business Development.
John Hartnett named as CEO of G24i
G24 Innovations (G24i) has named John Hartnett as its new Chief Executive Officer. Harnett comes to G24i from Palm, Inc., where he was Senior VP of Global Markets and was responsible for worldwide sales, service and support. He will divide his time between G24i’s manufacturing and research headquarters in Cardiff, Wales and the new hub in Silicon Valley, CA.
Jürg Fedier new CFO of Oerlikon Group
Oerlikon Group has named Jürg Fedier as its new Chief Financial Officer effective 1 January 2009. Fedier joins Oerlikon from Ciba, Basel where he served as the company’s CFO since March of 2007.
Product Briefings
New Product: Kaco offers Powador XP 100-HV inverter for solar power generation up to 100kW
Product Briefing Outline: Kaco nowoffers a new generation of central inverters that optimize yield from solar modules configured for large-scale power generation.The Powador XP100-HV central inverter uses DSP-based technology that is intended to offer the highest performance, reliability and efficiency.
New Product: Oerlikon Solar launches ‘Amorph High Performance’ thin film technology
Product Briefing Outline: Oerlikon Solar has introduced its next generation ‘Amorph High Performance’ thin film technology. Oerlikon Solar has claimed a major leap forward in panel performance by achieving more than 7% stabilized efficiency that has enabled a 16% increase in panel power output. The company said that more than 500,000 panels of the new technology have been produced. ‘Amorph High Performance’ fab capacity is also claimed to be up by more than 50% without an increase in fab cost. This has significantly raised economic viability for this high growth PV technology. Oerlikon has already been granted the requisite master certificates from TÜV.
XeroCoat launches single-layer low-refractive index coating boosting module power conversion
Product Briefing Outline: XeroCoat Technology has entered the solar energy market targeting the solar thermal and solar photovoltaic segments with its antireflective coatings. The XeroCoat antireflective coatings are claimed increase conversion efficiency and, consequently, the power output of solar systems, while being of low cost.
