Jon Haines

Energy Innovations has announced that its RayTracker product group has been spun off to form RayTracker Inc. The new company will allow the team to take advantage of the growing demand for its RayTracker GC product line. The GC line was made to be cost-effective while boasting high efficiency and reliability. RayTracker had been included in over 2MW of installations in 2008.   

SunEdison, the largest solar energy services provider in North America, has announced that US$20 million has been closed in February in project financing with Union Bank, N.A. 

Craig Hunter, former general manager and founder of the thin-film solar business at Applied Materials, Inc. has joined Intermolecular, Inc. as vice president and general manager of solar business.

Evergreen Solar, Inc., developers and marketers of the low-cost silicon wafer manufacturing technology String Ribbon solar power products, has announced high ratings in two significant performance tests.   

German-based Phaesun GmbH, off-grid specialists, called 48 customers and suppliers from 16 countries to a Solar Workshop in Paris from February 28 to March 1.  Phaesun, in addition to explaining advice on troubleshooting and how their products work, presented their new products for stand-alone solar systems.  The meeting benefited Phaesun as well, by giving them feedback on further development for later products.   

The prototype for a new lightweight solar cell module was displayed by Fuji Electric Systems Ltd. during the second International Photovoltaic Power Generation Expo.  The Expo took place from February 25-27. 

BASF SE and fellow Germany company centrotherm photovoltaics AG, a leading service-providers for solar cell and solar silicon manufacturing, along with its subsidiary GP Solar GmbH have announced a joint agreement for chemicals required in the manufacturing process of crystalline solar cells.   

 Dutch-owned Econcern has sold 30% of its stakes in a joint venture with CENTROSOLAR, while also renewing its contract with Ubbink Solar Modules BV (USM), a division in CENTROSOLAR founded in 2005 as an energy supplier based in the Netherlands.  

NRG Energy, Inc., one of the country’s leaders in power generation, has teamed up with thermal power generator, eSolar, to develop solar power plants with a total generation capacity of up to 500MW.  The plants, to be in production as early as 2011, can power up to 400,000 homes with 100% clean solar electricity in California and Southwest areas of the United States.  

Taking effect on April 1, Q-Cells SE will add another member to its executive board, Dr. Marko Schulz, who is to be in charge of Sales & Systems.  Schulz, having worked as CEO of Q-Cells International, brings the executive board to five people.  The 44 year-old Schulz had spent 13 years in leading positions at McKinsey prior to becoming CEO of Q-Cells in July of 2007.