Photovoltaics industry to produce 12GW by 2010, says iSuppli - 23 June 2008
Evergreen Solar gains follow-on order with groSolar - 24 June 2008
Ascent Solar mulls faster capacity ramp in 2009; evaluates overseas production - 02 July 2008
FPL plans 110MW of solar power plants in Florida - 26 June 2008
Global thin film production output to reach 3.5GW in 2010 - 27 June 2008
U.S. BLM backtracks on solar farm applications - 04 July 2008
Martin Hermann named as Chief Strategic Officer for Advent Solar - 04 July 2008
AT&S to collaborate with Solland Solar on solar cell applications - 03 July 2008
Yingli enters 10MW module supply agreement with Enfinity - 03 July 2008
Hybrid solar cell researchers order sputtering tool from Surrey NanoSystems - 03 July 2008
Evergreen Solar, Renewable Energy Corporation (“REC”), and Q-Cells,
equal partners in EverQ, have said that a third integrated wafer, cell
and panel facility would be constructed in Thalheim, Germany at an
initial cost of €125 million net of government grants.
The production boost, which will come on stream in early 2009, will mean EverQ’s production capacity will increase from 100MW to approximately 180MW. The partners also agreed to expand EverQ’s production capacity to approximately 600MW by 2012.
To aid the production expansion the partners also said that they would pursue an IPO for EverQ, though no date was given. However, the partners said that the management and organization of EverQ will be significantly strengthened to build EverQ into an independent company.
The sales and marketing organization at EverQ will be expanded as the distribution of solar panels produced by EverQ will ultimately be marketed under a yet-to-be-determined brand name.
A key part of the expansion plans rely on use by EverQ of Evergreen Solar’s Quad furnace technology with its automated ribbon cutting technology. At the time of the IPO, Evergreen and EverQ will enter into a five -year market-based royalty-bearing cross license to share all new material technology development on Evergreen Solar’s String Ribbon platform.
“The agreement to use Evergreen Solar’s proprietary Quad furnace technology to expand EverQ’s production capacity further validates the unique value proposition that our String Ribbon technology offers to our customers and our joint venture partners,” said Richard M. Feldt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evergreen Solar. “Combined with our own aggressive expansion plans to reach 500 MW of capacity by 2012, EverQ’s growth plans will make String Ribbon one of the leading technologies in the photovoltaic industry.”
