Start-up Sol Voltaics has unveiled ‘SolInk’, which is claimed to be an economical nanomaterial that promises to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon or thin-film solar modules by up to 25% or more. Gallium arsenide nanowires are fabricated via a high-throughput process called ‘Aerotaxy’ invented by company founder and Lund University professor Lars Samuelson.
Leading PV energy provider (PVEP), First Solar reported first quarter revenue of US$755 million in the quarter, a decrease of US$320 million from the fourth quarter of 2012 but exceeded slightly the top range of guidance.
Specialist encapsulant supplier STR Holdings continued to see sales slump in the first quarter of 2013, despite many module manufacturers raising production utilization rates on improved demand.
Citing improved margins against very tight capital expenditure control, PV module manufacturers are increasingly outsourcing part of their production needs, benefiting the likes of Flextronics, Jabil Circuits and JA Solar, according to a new report from IHS.
Advanced Energy Industries (AE) has started another round of restructuring aimed at taking advantage of the ‘fabless’ business model offered by recently acquired PV inverter company REFUsol.
South Korea-based polysilicon supplier OCI has cancelled all three of its long-term supply contracts with Suntech’s Chinese operations in response to subsidiary Suntech Wuxi entering bankruptcy proceedings.
JA Solar has started production of its metal wrap-through (MWT) solar cells in China as a precursor to plans to be announced about its next-generation solar cell technology.