Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

Oerlikon Solar and Chinese company Baoding Tianwei have inked a deal for a turnkey thin-film PV module production line in Bao Ding, China. The comprehensive agreement will see the provision of all production equipment and testing facilities, which will be shipped in the next few months and installed by Oerlikon Solar. Initial production capacity for the line will be 46.5MWp per annum. Read more >>

China Nuvo Solar Energy, with its collaboration partner, Pioneer Materials, Inc. (PMI) has said that the planned pilot line in Chengdu, China will be used for the development of higher efficiency stacked solar cells using copper indium gallium selenium (CIGS) thin-film materials. Read more >>

EDF Energies Nouvelles has made a $50 million investment in Nanosolar that secures Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules for EDF’s utility projects in North America, beginning in 2009. Nanosolar is expected to use the cash to accelerate its production ramp. Read more >>

ICP Solar’s mobile solar power products line will be manufactured using Ascent Solar’s high-efficiency CIGS solar technology following the recent signing of a cooperation agreement between the two companies. The agreement will see Ascent Solar supply ICP with materials from its 1.5MW production line throughout 2008 and into 2009. Read more >>

Ascent Solar Technologies has said that initial set of production runs on its thin-film flexible roll-to-roll line achieved average efficiencies of 9.5 percent including a high efficiency of 10.27 percent. Ascent claimed the milestone from its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on its 1.5MW production line in Littleton, Colorado. Read more >>

Hydro has invested approximately $28.5 million in Ascent Solar, taking Hydro’s share ownership from 22 to 34.8 percent. Hydro first invested in Ascent Solar in March, 2007 and has now invested close to $50 million in the company. Read more >>

Global Solar Energy has officially opened what it claims to be the largest CIGS solar production plant in the world, located in Tuscon, Arizona. The first phase full-production capacity is set at 40MW. With an expansion set for its plants in Tuscon, Arizona and its new plant in Berlin, Global Solar Energy expects to have a total capacity of 75MW in 2008 and a plan for an addition 100MW capacity by the end of 2009.  “The solar energy market is rapidly growing as a premier choice of alternate energy. CIGS photovoltaic technology provides the market with a new renewable energy option offering the greatest potential for driving... Read more >>

juwi solar GmbH, a renewable energy project company, has signed a letter of intent with CIGS thin film PV manufacturer DayStar Technologies to support the test, evaluation and field installations of its PV modules for large-scale utility power plants. Upon a successful collaboration, juwi solar will commit to purchasing up to 25 percent of DayStar's production through 2011. Read more >>

According to a paper published in Advanced Materials entitled “High Photovoltaic Performance of Inkjet Printed Polymer:Fullerene Blends” by Dr. Stelios A. Choulis, Claudia N. Hoth, Dr. Pavel Schilinsky and Dr. Christoph J. Brabec, all from Konarka Technologies, the company is claiming to be the first to produce inkjet printed organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Read more >>

Global Warming Solutions, Inc. has initiated RD&E for a small LETG solar power plant with a capacity of 1MW that will also include a low temperature thermal turbine to boost thermal electricity generation from the system.  Read more >>