Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

According to Gartner, the Indian Government’s Special Incentive Package Scheme (SIPS), aimed at attracting semiconductor manufacturing investments in India by providing subsidies and tax breaks, is also having a significant impact on the photovoltaic industry. Read more >>

London-based investor Jim Mellon (pictured) has revealed his plans to invest his time and money in the solar industry, reported The Times UK today. With years of investment and business acumen behind him, Mellon’s insight has led him down the technology path, starting up a company entitled Emerging Metals. Read more >>

Ventizz Capital has acquired a near 50 pecent stake in ersol Thin Film GmbH for a cash investment of €48 million. The funds will be used for the further growth and technology development of ersol Thin Film’s amorphous silicon thin-film modules, the companies said. Read more >>

Greentech Media, Inc. has reported that solar energy businesses received more than $1.05 billion in Venture Capital in 2007 via 70 financing rounds. Investment in renewable energy reached $3.4 billion for the year, according to Greentech Media. Read more >>

A report out from New Energy Finance highlights some interesting things about clean energy investments in 2007. Though solar is gaining significant attention in the media and the industry growing 30 percent per annum, it trails way behind other clean energy industries when it comes to attracting capital. Read more >>

LDK Solar has said that it expects solar wafer shipments to reach the equivalent of 510MW to 530MW in 2008 and to potentially reach 1,050MW to 1,150MW in 2009. Read more >>

Troubled Conergy AG, Germany’s largest integrated PV cell and module manufacturer, has announced after a board meeting that it would restructure the company with the loss of 500 jobs across its operations as it expects an operating loss for the year of €150 to €200 million. Projections of reaching €1.25 billion in sales have been revised downwards twice for 2007. Read more >>

Hoku Scientific, Inc. has signed a non-binding term sheet with Merrill Lynch for Hoku Materials, Inc., capital requirements for its under-construction polysilicon production plant in Pocatello, Idaho. The loan of $185 million is conditional on Hoku Scientific raising a further $35 million in cash for use in the construction of the planned polysilicon plant. The non-binding term sheet will expire on May 31, 2008. Read more >>

Solarfun Power Holdings has announced the increase in the stake of ownership of the company by Good Energies, raising Good Energies’ stake in Solarfun from 6.3% to 34.7%. Good Energies today signed an agreement to purchase 66,745,638 ordinary shares and 281,011 American Depository Shares, including 50% of CEO Yonghua Lu’s shares. Read more >>

Private equity fund Enfinity has awarded a contract to construct five photovoltaic solar parks in various Spanish locations to Martifier Solar, a subsidiary of the Martifier Group. With construction of the parks beginning in December this year, the five parks are expected to be completed in summer 2008. Read more >>