Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News
PV Modules
Opinion
Top Stories 2008 – PV Modules – tests, ramps and orders
This year’s modules news saw developments in several elements of the industry sector, from conversion efficiencies to orders, and from module testing to future ramp outlays. Solarfun’s announcement of its ramp schedule for 2009 was a strong story, as all eyes are on the industry given developments in tariffs, credit crunch woes and the hope for potential uptake in the solar industry as a whole. Solarfun’s exciting announcement of an expected 2009 capacity of 580MW will hopefully encourage other companies to plough ahead with production.
News
Solaria places order with Spire for 100MW production line
Spire has received its sixth sales contract from Solaria Energia y Medio Ambiente, S.A. that will see Spire supply a 100MW production line to the Spanish company. Spire will supply provide state-of-the-art assembly machines, laminators, and a module simulator to Solaria for a sum that has yet to be disclosed. The equipment will be installed in Solaria Energia’s new facility in Fuenmayor, Spain.
EMCORE to cut workforce due to liquidity issues
Loss-making EMCORE Corporation said in an SEC filing that it is planning a sweeping range of cost-cutting measures and refinancing moves to improve the company’s financial liquidity. A workforce reduction will be made to lower operating costs, though how deep the cuts will be was not disclosed.
Solar Power, Inc. completes first module sale to German integrator
Following the company’s recent receipt of IEC certification for its solar modules by VDE Laboratories, Solar Power, Inc. has completed a sale to a prominent German solar integrator. The first supply of 200W solar panels associated with this deal took place in early December 2008, and the panels are expected to be used in the unnamed integrator’s Germany-based installation projects.
Yingli Green Energy wins 15MW module supply deal with German industrial PV integrator
German industrial PV systems integrator, GOLDBECK Solar has signed a 15MW module supply contract with Yingli Green Energy for 2009. Yingli said that GOLDBECK Solar could purchase a further 58MW of modules in 2009.
China Sunergy signs PV-cell supply deal with Ajit Solar
China Sunergy has signed a one-year agreement to supply multicrystalline solar cells to privately owned Indian module manufacturer Ajit Solar. The deal calls for the PV manufacturer to deliver 12 MW of cells to Ajit next year.
Read more >>Top Stories 2008 – PV Modules – tests, ramps and orders
This year’s modules news saw developments in several elements of the industry sector, from conversion efficiencies to orders, and from module testing to future ramp outlays. Solarfun’s announcement of its ramp schedule for 2009 was a strong story, as all eyes are on the industry given developments in tariffs, credit crunch woes and the hope for potential uptake in the solar industry as a whole. Solarfun’s exciting announcement of an expected 2009 capacity of 580MW will hopefully encourage other companies to plough ahead with production.
Featured Articles
First Edition: Snapshot of spot market for PV modules – quarterly report Q2 2008 Continuous monito
By pvXchange, Berlin, Germany
ABSTRACT
Solar enterprises will each be faced with the occasional surplus or lack of solar modules in their lifetimes. In these instances, it is useful to adjust these stock levels at short notice, thus creating a spot market. Spot markets serve the short-term trade of different products, where the seller is able to permanently or temporarily off-set surplus, while buyers are able to access attractive offers on surplus stocks and supplement existing supply arrangements as a last resort.
First Edition: Failure analysis of design qualification testing: 2007 vs. 2005
Design and performance qualification testing of PV modules consists of a set of well-defined accelerated stress tests with strict pass/fail criteria. ASU-PTL is an ISO 17025-accredited testing laboratory and has been providing photovoltaic testing services since 1992. This paper presents a failure analysis on the design qualification testing of both crystalline silicon (c-Si) and thin-film technologies for two consecutive periods: 1997-2005 and 2005-2007.
Product Briefings
New Product: Pasan SA’s new electronic load enables higher accuracy solar cell/module testing
Product Briefing Outline: Pasan SA has introduced a new electronic load that is more accurate and offers several additional features for the testing of solar cells and modules. This electronic load not only is fitted to module and cell flashers, but also can be combined with continuous light sources. Furthermore the equipment is suitable for outdoor testing.
Top 5 new product reviews of 2008
In our first full year online, we have steadily increased the number of new products we have reviewed and also seen the new products section gain increasingly greater traffic levels throughout the year. Looking through the traffic numbers, we have identified the Top 5 most popular reviews of new products for your enjoyment.
