Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

Canadian Solar has said that it has converted a solar cell production line to produce 100 percent upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG) silicon with an expected output of 30-40MW of ‘e-Modules’ in 2008, primarily for the European and U.S market. The UMG line became operational in April with approximately 1MW so far produced. Read more >>

Vertically integrated solar cell manufacturer Solar Power Industries has placed a second long-term order for solar grade silicon with Becancour Silicon, which sees the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania producer receive an additional 3,000 metric tons per year from 2010 to 2015. The initial supply agreement anticipated shipments of solar grade silicon in excess of 4,000 metric tons over its initial period of 5 years. Read more >>

A new report by PHOTON Consulting has confirmed that the unblended use of metallurgical solar grade silicon has resulted in cell efficiencies above 14 percent and therefore has the potential to significantly reduce silicon material costs, thereby reshaping the photovoltaics industry in the near future. The report was commissioned by Timminco to provide an independent evaluation of its breakthrough metallurgical solar grade silicon processes and products of its subsidiary, Becancour. Read more >>

GT Solar has received an initial order worth $8.8 million from new silicon solar wafer producer, Nexolon Co., Ltd. of South Korea. Formed in 2007, Nexolon is currently building its first manufacturing plant in the Iksan Industrial Complex in Iksan City of JeonBuk Province, South Korea. Nexolon has ordered multiple DSS450 furnaces from GT Solar that will be used for multicrystalline silicon ingot production. Read more >>

PVA TePla AG has said that it has received its largest single order for crystal growing systems in the company’s history, valued at €76 million. The order comes from ASi Industries GmbH, Arnstadt, Germany - a wholly-owned subsidiary of ersol Solar Energy AG. Read more >>

KMG Electronic Chemicals is set to raise its prices for a range of high-purity process chemicals for the North American market by between 5 and 18 percent. KMG said that the price hikes were due to the ongoing increases in raw material prices as well as transportation costs due to the increases in the cost of fuel. Read more >>

Despite recent disruptions at its Pasadena manufacturing plant that reduced revenues for the first quarter of 2008 by approximately 10 percent, MEMC said in a conference call with financial analysts that its target of reaching 8,000MT of polysilicon production in 2008 was on target. Read more >>

Starting in the first quarter of 2010, Trina Solar will source polysilicon from Italian start-up SILFAB S.p.A to produce approximately 225MW of solar modules in aggregate over six years, the company said. Read more >>

Of the anticipated 51,000 metric tons of global polysilicon production for 2008, THT Research expects 2,000 metric tons of that figure to be contributed by China. The expected increase on the output of 1,000 tons produced by China in 2007 has been pegged as a result of improved polysilicon production processes in the country. Read more >>

Solar wafer supplier ReneSola has announced that it has signed six-year wafer supply agreements with two Chinese solar cell manufacturers. Under the terms of the agreements, ReneSola will supply both Ningbo Solar Electric Power Co., Ltd. and Eoplly New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. with 105MW of solar wafers over a six-year period, commencing in mid-2008. Read more >>