Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

SunEdison has built and activated a 1.18MW ground-mounted PV solar power system for Ironwood State Prison, California. The system is expected to provide 2.4 million kWh in its first year, and should reach over 43 million kWh of power over a 20-year period. Read more >>

Solar module manufacturer XsunX has extended its existing two-year supply agreement with Newport Corporation, the company announced. Newport will continue to supply XsunX with laser and motion subsystems for its integrated thin-film PV manufacturing line. The duration of the current agreement was not disclosed. Read more >>

A new thin-film amorphous photovoltaic manufacturing company has been formed under the Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy program, dubbed Masdar PV. The new company will initially invest $600 million in two separate SunFab turnkey 5.7 m² module production lines supplied by Applied Materials in Erfurt, Germany and in Abu Dhabi. Total investment has been put as $2 billion with an expected capacity in excess of 1GW of annual production by 2014. The combined initial production capacity of the two sites was said to be 210 megawatts, with the capacity already committed to PV system installers in Europe and projects for Masdar itself. Read more >>

Sailing New Energy Resources Co., Ltd. has signed a supply agreement with Yingli Green Energy for the provision of polysilicon from the fourth quarter of 2008 until the end of 2010. Sailing, a Chongqing, China-based polysilicon supplier, will supply polysilicon during the period that will facilitate Yingli Green Energy’s production of between 160MW and 200MW of PV modules. Read more >>

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. has acquired a minority stake in Shunda Holdings, a China-based solar wafer manufacturer. The transaction saw Suntech hand over $98.9 million to Actis, a private equity investor for emerging markets, and to Waichun Investment Fund. Read more >>

Celerity, Inc. has opened a new manufacturing facility in Singapore, entitled Celerity Fluid Systems Pte. Ltd. Located in the Woodlands Industrial Park area in northern Singapore, the 17,000 square foot facility will house integration and manufacturing of the company’s advanced gas delivery systems, among others. Initial shipments from the new facility are expected in August 2008. Read more >>

Q-Cells has announced its intentions to develop a major thin film photovoltaics manufacturing facility at the Silicon Border industrial park near Mexicali, Mexico at a projected cost of $3.5 billion. The development is dependent on the future growth of the PV market in the US, Mexico and Latin America and is a mid to long-term plan according to Q-Cells.

Read more >>

Over 30 PV equipment and materials suppliers have come together to form the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) to collaborate on strategic partnerships, develop business opportunities and to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas.  The companies, which hail from Europe, the U.S. and Asia, will work together in supporting each other’s events... Read more >>

Signet Solar has announced the fabrication of the industry’s largest silicon thin-film PV module at its new factory in Dresden, Germany. The Gen 8.5 (5.7m²) module was completed a mere ten months after the start of the 200,000 square foot facility’s construction, which was completed after seven months with equipment installation and initial fabrication completed within three months. Read more >>

Baoding Yingli Group Co. Ltd. has announced its intention to enter the realm of polysilicon manufacturing. Yingli Group expects to establish a green field project, primarily using Siemens methodology, to manufacture 3,000 metric tons of polysilicon annually in Baoding, China. Read more >>