Looking back over 2013, it’s clear the year was a transitional one. A key takeaway has been the recovery in end-market demand that has restored manufacturing utilisation rates to almost 100% for tier one PV module manufacturers and the opportunity for many but not all PV module manufacturers to return to operating profits in the second half of the year.
Crystal-growing equipment specialist, PVA TePla, has lowered its sales forecast for the year after experiencing a delay in a PV equipment order processing.
Having acquired amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film equipment supplier Oerlikon Solar for over US$280 million in 2012, Tokyo Electron (TEL) has made an impairment charge on the operations of around US$214 million, revaluing the operations at around US$71 million.
A major Korea-based PV module manufacturer has placed an initial order with Spire Corporation for advanced test and metrology equipment as part of a capacity expansion programme.
Hanergy subsidiary, Solibro, has made a significant step forward in its sub-module (5x5cm2) lab produced copper-indium-gallium-selenium (CIGS) thin-film process with a verified conversion efficiency of 19.6%.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is making a US$13 million investment in five separate projects designed to improve manufacturing competitiveness in the domestic solar industry.
Specialist US-based solar wafer producer, 1366 Technologies has received a further US$2.5 million in Series C financing bringing the round to a total of US$17.5 million.
Restructuring and cost-cutting efforts at PV equipment and technology specialist, Amtech Systems helped limit fourth quarter financial year losses to US$1.7 million, a highlight in what has been another difficult year for the company.
