Day 1: Solar Power International news summary

The Solar Power International (SPI) conference and exhibition is the largest solar industry event in the U.S. The 2008 event is being held this week in San Diego, California, coming straight after the solar investment tax credit (ITC) bill was passed in Congress, extending incentives for domestic and commercial installations that could now see the U.S become the largest market for solar energy in the years to come. This daily review covers breaking news from the show in an easy to digest summary.

SunPower Corporation and GE have dedicated a 1.1MW installation on the roof of HP’s printing technology research and development facility in San Diego, on the day the largest solar event in the U.S. gets underway in San Diego, CA. HP is buying electricity from GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE that owns the system under the ‘SunPower Access’ power purchase agreement program. (Full report form our reporter on the scene can be viewed here.)

Kyocera Solar is introducing a 220W back-contact solar module at SPI. The company's most powerful module to date, it uses high-efficiency, multicrystalline solar cells. Also on show at its booth (513) will be the all-black, back-contact, black back-sheet 187W module.

Adept Technology sees the emerging needs for the integration of high-resolution 2D and 3D solar cell inspection with advanced cell handling applications as the PV industry scales to larger manufacturing facilities to reduce the cost per watt. At SPI, Adept is demonstrating its 2D and 3D high-resolution inspection technology in booth 229. 

XsunX said it was reviewing the use of a new solar module encapsulation material for use in the assembly of its TFPV solar module design, which could potentially reduce assembly times and material costs. The company is to offer a frameless glass-on-glass assembly design for its thin-film modules in combination with a new encapsulation process that is expected to reduce module costs further. XsunX is at booth 632.

Flextronics, a global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider, is attending SPI to discuss with PV OEMs its ability to service and support their outsourcing requirements as demand for solar continues to grow. Flextronics has recently collaborated with Oerlikon Solar and Carmanah. The EMS provider offers module assembly, component and other services for the industry.