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German-based companies involved in the supply of manufacturing equipment for the global solar industry had a record sales year in 2011, according to the latest report from trade association, VDMA. German equipment suppliers benefited from a focus on advanced cell technology that supported a global market share of 46% in 2011. However, overcapacity is impacting sales to major markets in Asia, particularly China, in 2012.
Dresden, Germany-based OPV thin-film developer Heliatek has achieved a new organic tandem solar cell world record with 10.7% cell efficiency on a 1.1cm2 substrate. SGS undertook the testing and validated the figures. SGS also confirmed the OPV cell’s merits in low light and high temperature operation.
Fraunhofer has developed a new method of providing high-area polymer films with an anti-reflective film layer through the utilization of plasma-etching. The development was unveiled at the recent International Vacuum Conference and will be used to help provide solar cells with optimal light conditions.
Global Solar Energy has announced that it is to sell its portable solar business, including the Sunlinq and P3 product lines. The company assures that it does not anticipate any disruption in production or service to its portable solar business customers during the sale process. Global Solar insists the purchase will allow it to better position its focus on and grow other key business units serving the BIPV market.
Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) has announced that the auction date for the sale of United Solar Ovonics (USO) will be put back to 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on May 8, 2012. The auction was previously set for 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on April 24, 2012 following the company’s entry into Chapter 11 proceedings in the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in February 2012.
NanoMarkets has announced that it will publish two new reports in May, following its recent DSC and BIPV glass markets reports. The market research firm will publish “Opportunities in the Organic Photovoltaics Market 2012” and “BIPV Encapsulation Markets 2012” next month, which will conclude with eight-year forecasts of the both subjects, the OPV and BIPV encapsulation markets.
With approximately US$148 million in cash and investments, coupled to current assets valued at just over US$1.03 billion but debts of equivalent value, Chapter 11 refugee, Energy Conversion Devices is therefore primed for takeover or asset strip. Investment firm Salamon Group is the first to officially make a move in a tender offer for the company, though the deal would seem far removed from ECD managements goals of restructuring under Chapter 11.
It is no surprise that thin film has had some trouble for the past few months and GTM Research’s latest report, “Thin Film 2012-2016: Technologies, Markets and Strategies for Survival,” points out that the technology’s global market share dropped to 11% in 2011, after peaking at almost 20% in 2009. These days, the report states, thin film is surrounded by a highly competitive PV supply market with oversupply bringing cSi technology to global markets at less than US$1 per watt.
Updated: A severe cost-cutting exercise and manufacturing realignment is underway at First Solar as it plans to axe around 30% of its workforce, permanently close its German manufacturing operations and idle four lines at its facilities in Malaysia. Management blamed the move on the market conditions in Europe and the rapidly changing market demand dynamics within the industry for the restructuring.
This February, Konarka made the announcement that its OPV modules were the first OPV technology to pass individual critical tests for IEC 61646, an accelerated lifetime testing protocol, by TÜV Rheinland. The company has now stated that its organic solar modules have passed IEC stress tests under IEC 61646. The testing was conducted by TÜV Rheinland at its Solar Energy Assessment Centre (SEAC) in Cologne, Germany.
