Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news

AIS Automation Dresden has been tapped by Bosch Solar Energy for one of its manufacturing execution systems (VPC-MES) for installation in Bosch’s Arnstadt crystalline solar cell manufacturing factory. This order marks the fourth AIS Automation MES system to be installed in a Bosch facility, and will enable the increase in Bosch’s production capacity by approximately 400MWp.

Applied Materials has been granted early termination of the waiting period connected to its $11.00 per share cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of Semitool. The early termination comes by way of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

Crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturer E-Ton Solar is said to have revised its production capacity for 2010, according to a Digitimes report. The Taiwan-based company will expand its output by 180MW to 500MW as a result of a hike in product shipments for 2009.

Singulus Technologies has acquired the remaining 49% of Stangl Semiconductor Equipment ahead of schedule and at a significantly lower price than what was paid for the first trance back in 2007. Once this deal is completed Singulus will own 100% of Stangl's shares.

An agreement between Oerlikon Systems and Meyer Burger to collaborate on the distribution of the recently launched single wafer sputter Solaris system has been signed, which will see the companies market the system on a global scale. This move will see Meyer Burger provide sales and customer support for the system in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas while also paving the way for the two companies to perform collaborative research into anti-reflective coating developments.

A European crystalline solar cell manufacturer has placed a large order for numerous SOLARIS systems. Introduced to the market only weeks ago, the product is set to be delivered within the coming year and will increase the customer's production capacity in North America.

Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum's Scandinavian business unit has been sold to the unit's management. The contracts have been effective since October 31, 2009.

Solar cell manufacturer Neo Solar Power has begun volume manufacturing of what it is calling the ‘Perfect Cell’ – a monocrystalline silicon cell that yields a conversion efficiency of 17.8%. A Digitimes story reported the start of the volume production, which will see 60 of these Perfect Cells formed into a module that is theoretically capable of producing more than 250W of power, compared to the current mono- and multicrystalline module yield of 220W.

Camstar Systems landed a deal to supply its SolarSuite for Q-Cells’ two new production lines in Bitterfeld-Thalheim, Germany, and its new factory in Malaysia, where production, at peak, is expected to be over 300MW by the end of 2010. Q-Cells chose the SolarSuite for its intended solution to lower cost per watt through improved process quality and cell efficiency.

Merck and Dyesol have announced their plans to work together to create electrolytes for use in dye solar cells (DSC). The joint agreement is slated to be an indication of the potential for future commercial agreements, which would allow Merck to manufacture existing and next generation electrolytes for DSC applications such as photovoltaic renewable energy sources.