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Continued overcapacity and weak demand in the wafering sector has forced Bekaert to reduce wire saw manufacturing capacity with the loss of 1,250 jobs. Restructuring started in December 2011, which included reducing production in China.
Citing ‘structural’ overcapacity, ‘significant price declines’ and a fall in demand of crystalline silicon wafers, Sumco has decided to completely exit the market. The company expects to incur charges of ¥5 billion, folding both wafer subsidiaries, Sumco Solar Corporation and Minimata Denshi, and noted that it would report a significant operating loss in its fiscal fourth quarter results. Sumco said that wafer prices had declined by 70% from January 2011.
As part of REC Group’s previously announced closure of certain wafer and cell production plants in Norway, a sale of the equipment from three plants is to be organized by surplus asset management firm, GoIndustry Dovebid. All equipment and components were said to available for sale by private negotiation.
Though not independently verified, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film producer, MiaSole has claimed it has produced a 17.3% champion device result, while the manufacturing process for 14% efficiency is now in production. To date, MiaSole has claimed it has shipped over 55MW of modules since starting production in mid-2009. MiaSole started production of 13% efficient modules in October, 2011.
Lithuania-based CD and DVD disc manufacturer BOD Group is entering the c-Si solar cell manufacturing market, using a complete line of equipment being provided by Singulus Technologies. Singulus has been a supplier of CD and DVD processing equipment to the Lithuanian firm. The delivery of the line is scheduled to take place in early 2013.
Portugal’s University of Évora and a number of renewable energy companies and organizations have founded the Portuguese Institute for Solar Energy (IPES).
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the Indian government has decided to establish a new solar company with an initial capital of US$405.6 million, which will go towards the development of federal solar projects in order to reach the country’s 20GW solar energy capacity target by 2022.
Hyderabad, India-based Surana Ventures has completed construction of its 5MW solar module manufacturing facility in the Fab City, approximately 40km from Hyderabad. The company has also announced that it is seeking the necessary permission to commission a second 5MW module manufacturing plant in Gujarat.
According to Algerian newspaper El Watan, Edielec is to open a 12MW manufacturing facility producing about 54,000 solar modules annually. The plant is to become operational in March.
Industrial wastewater treatment (IWT) system manufacturer Saita srl has successfully installed an IWT for an unnamed Belgian solar cell manufacturer. This installation, which claims to recycle 97% of the wastewater used in the multicrystalline cell manufacturing process, marks the second such system installed by Saita, and the Italian company has set its sights on expanding the uptake of such systems across the PV manufacturing industry.
