• 

  Order Focus: RENA and Tempress Systems win 100MW advanced cell line contract from US-based Nexolon

  23 hours ago

  Wafer producer Nexolon, which plans to invest more than US$115 million to become a major US-based PV module manufacturer has selected the n-PASHA Alliance (RENA, ECN and Tempress Systems) to provide its advanced n-type solar cell technology for bi-facial module production.

• 

  CEEG cancels €290 million PV factory order with centrotherm photovoltaics

  14 June 2013, 12:54

  Having successfully exited insolvency proceedings, centrotherm photovoltaics has been hit by the cancellation of a long-standing order by CEEG to build a €290 million PV module assembly plant in Algeria.

• 

  Air Liquide buying Voltaix

  14 June 2013, 12:27

  Photovoltaics and semiconductor specialist materials provider Voltaix is be acquired by Air Liquide for an undisclosed sum.

• China Sunergy shipping modules form Turkish production plant

  14 June 2013, 11:44

• Krinner expands operations to North America

  07 June 2013, 09:52

• Neo Solar Power and Delsolar merger completed

  05 June 2013, 14:43

• 

  Wastech offers heavy metal removal systems in batch or continuous flow designs

  18 July 2012, 16:28

  Wastech Controls & Engineering offers heavy metal removal systems that treat rinse waters from plating lines used to add soldering contacts to PV wafers. These rinse waters are acidic in nature and contain heavy metals such as copper, nickel and tin. Heavy metal removal systems can be a batch or continuous flow system, using a combination of pH adjustment, precipitation, flocculation, clarification and filtration to remove heavy metal oxides.

• 

  Latest TMP pump from Edwards offers 32% reduction in energy consumption at high gas flows

  09 July 2012, 07:47

  Edwards has launched the STP-iXR1606 series of magnetically-levitated turbo-molecular pumps (TMP) with a fully-integrated onboard controller. Edwards’ new TMP incorporates a new rotary design that delivers approximately 40% improvement in throughput at high gas flow rates and an increase of nearly 90% in maximum gas flow, compared to existing products.

• 

  Eyelit’s ‘Intelligence Mobile Web Portal’ provides remote access to key manufacturing data

  02 May 2012, 15:45

  Eyelit has made available its ‘Intelligence Mobile Web Portal,’ which provides operational information in real-time through tablet devices and smart phones using iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry technologies, enabling ‘anywhere access’ to key manufacturing and quality data from the manufacturing floor.

• Second-generation ThinFab turnkey system from Oerlikon Solar sets lowest module costs

  26 January 2012, 17:03

• AMETEK offering larger fluoropolymer piping for scaling to larger PV manufacturing facilities

  03 October 2011, 09:36

• MV Products vacuum foreline traps improve pump lifetimes

  15 June 2011, 11:50

• A cheaper, faster and greener solar panel manufacturing process

  The cleaning performance of three different fluorine-containing precursors – sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and molecular fluorine (F2) – is compared from theoretical, experimental and commercial points of view. Experiments were performed using an Oerlikon Solar KAI Gen 5 (1300mm × 1100mm) R&D platform. For the experiments with F2, an ‘on-site/on-demand’ generator from The Linde Group was installed at the Oerlikon Solar facility in Trübbach, Switzerland. The SF6-based cleaning process was found to be up to 75% less efficient than the corresponding NF3 or F2 process. A comparison between NF3 and F2 indicates that a significantly larger process window is available for reactor cleaning when F2 is used in place of NF3. This leads to both time and gas mass savings, improving productivity and bringing down the cost of ownership of the reactor cleaning process. As a direct consequence, Oerlikon Solar has decided to transfer the process to their production KAI MT plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) platforms.

• How automation can benefit the PV industry

  Although the different roadmaps for PV vary somewhat from each other, the bottom line always remains the same: exponential growth is predicted over the next 5–10 years. The latest cell technologies meet the demand for grid parity even in central Europe and PV will therefore continue to be the most popular source of renewable energy. In consequence, the whole PV industry has developed from a niche product towards mass production. Every player along the entire value chain is now faced with the need to stay profitable while meeting the ever-increasing demands of the market. Implementing suitable automation can improve competitiveness and thus pave the way to becoming or remaining successful in this turbulent market.

• International technology roadmap for PV: Results 2011

• US environmental permitting for PV manufacturing facilities – requirements & strategies for success

• Environmental footprinting of photovoltaic module production

• Integral characterization: Traceability from feedstock to cell

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• News
• In Depth
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• The Big Story

• 1. SEMI approves Trina Solar standards

• 2. China Sunergy shipping modules form Turkish production plant

• 3. CEEG cancels €290 million PV factory order with centrotherm photovoltaics

• 4. Taiwan increases 2013 solar target to 175MW

• 5. Spain reported to European Parliament over PV tariff cuts

• 1. SEMI approves Trina Solar standards

• 2. China Sunergy shipping modules form Turkish production plant

• 3. CEEG cancels €290 million PV factory order with centrotherm photovoltaics

• 4. Taiwan increases 2013 solar target to 175MW

• 5. Spain reported to European Parliament over PV tariff cuts

• 1. What’s next for PV technology in 2013?

• 2. Top 10 PV module suppliers in 2012

• 3. What the Buffett factor really means for solar

• 4. Record breaking start to 2013 puts UK on solar world map

• 5. Top 10 PV markets in 2012

• 1. Exclusive Interview: How proposed trade tariffs against China are harming the PV industry

• 2. Power-One, ReneSola, SolarMax, Hanwha Q-Cells and Kingspan discuss new products

• 3. PV-Tech Newscast—January 4, 2013

• 4. SoLayTec Ultrafast ALD for Al2O3

• 5. PV-Tech Newscast – January 11, 2013

• 1. Solar Shakeout

• 2. Intersolar North America

• 3. Intersolar Conference & Exhibition 2012

• 4. Solar Trade War

Publications

• 

  Photovoltaics International 20th Edition

  Has the latest round of consolidation in the supply chain enabled a more sustainable growth curve for the solar industry or is this a blip fuelled by subsidies? In this context Photovoltaics International has never been more relevant for your business. Whether you are a glass half empty or full person, the fact remains that orders are up across the board, new markets are coming on stream and analysts’ predictions are increasing again. Optimism is starting to creep into even the most conservative of organisations.

• 

  Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2013 Production Annual

  In the ever-changing global solar markets, cost reduction and measures to increase cell efficiencies are the key tools available to PV manufacturers to create new opportunities and drive your business to the next level. Manufacturing the Solar Future 2013 is the third in the Photovoltaics International PV Production Annual series, delivering the next instalment of in-depth technical manufacturing information on PV production processes designed to help you gain the competitive edge.