Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news

Deutsche Solar has chosen Eyelit's manufacturing execution software suite to support its photovoltaic wafer production ramp at its new 500MW facility in Freiburg, Germany. Eyelit and its partner, Systema, were selected to provide a scalable MES solution for the management of factory assets and production, along with material traceability and visibility from raw silicon through wafer processing, including ingot and brick production areas.

Epitaxial wafer house EpiWorks has finished the second phase of the expansion of its Champaign, IL, production facility. The company, which now has a solar-cell wafer product line, has doubled its cleanroom space for III-V semiconductor substrate manufacturing.

MEMC Electronic Materials has increased its ownership interest in Eversol, a Taiwanese solar wafer manufacturer. The company now holds a 10.6% stake in the wafer-making firm.

Padua, Italy-based Silfab, supplier of high-grade polysilicon to the photovoltaics industry, has opened five new 1MW solar power plants in the Bari and Taranto regions of Southern Italy. The company has also hinted that it intends to develop an integrated PV supply chain in an undisclosed location in North America based on a ‘Green-to-Green’ business model.

Sino-American Silicon Products told Reuters.com that it expects its shipments to rise around 30% in 2010 as it sees that global market for solar power improving. Sino-American president Doris Hsu, told Reuters that the company is looking to raise cash by issuing shares and will see an increase in profit next year due to a higher demand for solar products, better wafer prices and lower raw material costs.

GCL-Poly will invest some $200 million to build a 2GW solar wafer manufacturing plant in Xuzhou, according to Reuters. The company hopes to slash production costs to $30 per kg from $36 per kg by the end of 2010, by recycling their materials and producing its own electricity, CFO Samuel Tong said in the report.

MEMC Electronic Materials and Q-Cells International, a subsidiary of Q-Cells SE that specialises in building and operating PV power plants, have established a joint venture that will see MEMC partner with an investment of US$100 million in solar power plants. The first project is a massive 50MWp solar park in Strasskirchen, Bavaria, using crystalline solar cell-based modules. MEMC will have a 50% stake in the project. Upon completion, the partners said they would sell the park to a third party. “Our investment is enabling one or more [solar park] projects to precede that have stalled due to lack of financing," noted Ahmad Chatila President and CEO of MEMC in its quarterly financial conference call.

In an updated second-quarter outlook, LDK Solar estimates its shipments of solar wafers will be in the 220-230MW range, up from its previous guidance of 200-220MW. The company also said it expects quarterly revenues to come in between $215 million and $225 million. LDK also secured two loans worth a combined total of RMB 1 billion (about $146 million).

LDK Solar would seem to be pushing on from its initial deal with Q-Cells to facilitate solar energy projects, with a separate deal signed with Italian systems integrator SAEM Srl. The new agreement is for five 1MW PV energy plants to be built in the Apulia region of Italy by November 2009. LDK Solar will supply the required number of wafers for the projects, while SAEM handles the engineering, procurement, and system integration services. Financial details were not disclosed.

In another sign of challenging market conditions across the solar PV manufacturing value chain, REC Wafer has decided to temporarily ramp down about 35% of its production capacity. The reduction will affect approximately 180 employees, according to the company.