Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

This year, for the first time, Intersolar is offering two Innovation exchanges in the fields of Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic technology with exhibitors being able to register for either individual event or both. Visitors can find information about innovations that are going to be presented on the Intersolar homepage. Read more >>

VLSI Research, the industry market research firm, has said that critical subsystems suppliers that provide components and larger integrated systems to semiconductor and photovoltaic equipments suppliers saw sales boosted by the growth in the PV industry and sales in the flat panel sector as revenues in semiconductor were lacklustre in 2007. Read more >>

Applied Materials has launched a program that supports customers of its PV thin-film ‘SunFab’ turnkey production line with specific guarantees in respect to ramp, efficiency optimization and productivity as well as enabling continuous cost reductions based on megawatt output. Applied said that it has also signed a multiyear agreement for the service with T-Solar Global S.A. of Spain. Read more >>

HelioVolt has presented figures at this week’s 33rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists’ Conference, demonstrating that its ‘FASST’ reactive transfer printing process has produced thin-film solar cells with 12.2 percent conversion efficiencies. The process took only six minutes, according to the company. Read more >>

Technology development partners Sunovia Energy Technologies and EPIR Technologies have claimed a breakthrough in growing single crystalline CdTe/Si more rapidly in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) tool that could lead to the faster commercialization of their proprietary solar cell technology. Read more >>

SunPower Corporation has said that its Gen 3 solar cell technology that is currently under development has reached cell efficiencies of 23.4 percent using standard five-inch wafers. SunPower claims that this is a new world record for a large area solar cell. "This is a step function increase from our 22 percent efficient Gen 2 technology, which has been in mass production since last year," said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower Corp. "Credit for this achievement goes to our world- class research and development team led by Dick Swanson and Bill Mulligan, as well as to our talented engineering group." Read more >>

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. has signed an agreement with Hanau Energies SAS to supply a 4.5MW building integrated PV system (BIPV) to a farm located in Alsace, France.  The 4.5MW installation is anticipated to be completed by January 2009 with an additional 1MW already being planned. 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 >>

A new report out today, Photovoltaic Capacity Valuation Methods, by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), examines the variety of capacity calculation methods in use, and lays the foundation for building consensus within the solar industry, electric utility, and research communities. Read more >>