Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

Solibro has begun to ship its copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules to customers. The German company, which is a joint venture between majority partner Q-Cells and Swedish firm Solibro, says that it has signed supply contracts for most of its production. Customers include Sunova, HaWi Energietechnik, thermovolt, Hecklogic, and Sunset Energietechnik. Read more >>

Flexible thin-film, roll-to-roll start-up, Xunlight Corporation, has received a further $11 million in funding from Rabo Ventures, Trident Capital and Emerald Technology Ventures. The extra funds are to be used to help complete and start operations at a 25MW roll-to-roll production line. Read more >>

Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) turned the corner into profitability in its recently completed fiscal year, largely on the success of its amorphous-silicon-based, flexible thin-film PV operation, United Solar Ovonic (Uni-Solar), proving that First Solar's not the only TFPV game in town. Read more >>

AVA Solar has raised $104 million in a second round of funding led by DCM as well as Technology Partners, GLG Partners and Bohemian Companies, LLC and Invus, LP. The money will be used to complete its 200MW CdTe thin film plant in Longmont, Colorado. AVA Solar had previously said that it would start production in the second-half of 2008. Read more >>

Nanosolar has said that it plans to speed up the ramp of its Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) roll-to-roll PV manufacturing lines in San Jose, California and Berlin, Germany on the back of a new $300 million round of funding. Nanosolar said that its annual capacity at its San Jose facility was 430MW and its Berlin facility had a 620MW capacity. Read more >>

Manz Automation and ROFIN-SINAR Technologies have formed a new partnership to develop and sell a new integrated tool that combines laser edge ablation and laser cutting of thin-film solar modules. The companies expect the new tool to reduce thin film production costs and improve yields. The new tool will be developed over the next twelve months. Read more >>

Northfield Automation Systems, Inc. and German-based Solarcoating Machinery GmbH have formed a strategic partnership to offer turnkey roll-to-roll thin film production solutions. Start-up Solarcoating Machinery, offers roll-to-roll equipment needed for coating, Read more >>

Thermal processing equipment supplier BTU International has announced the receipt of an order exceeding two million dollars for several of BTU’s in-line thermal processing systems. The order is from a major thin-film solar customer for use in the high-volume production of thin-film solar panels. Read more >>

Ascent Solar Technologies has placed an order with STANGL Semiconductor Equipment AG, a subsidiary of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, for eight roll-to-roll wet-chemical coating machines that will be used in Ascent’s volume ramp of its flexible thin film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells at a new manufacturing plant. The 8 STANGL ‘IMPEDIO’ systems will enable Ascent to reach a nominal capacity of 30MW, per annum. Read more >>

Applied Materials executives said in their latest financial conference call that four of its eight ‘SunFab’ thin film production lines that are a various stages of readiness are now producing panels. At Intersolar Munich, in June this year, Signet Solar announced that they were the first SunFab customer to start production. Read more >>