Mark Osborne

A partnership project to increase multicrystalline ingot casting quality and lower production costs at Yingli Green has been hailed a success.

US-based PV installer SolarCity said its PV installations reached 156MW in 2012, an increase of 117%, compared to 2011, exceeding guidance by 10MW.

Materials IP developer, Applied Nanotech has opened a proprietary PV metallic inks and paste production plant in China with JV partner Sichuan Anxian Yinhe Constructional & Chemical Group Co., Ltd (YHCC), an electronic paste manufacturer focused on the PV industry.

Ingot furnace equipment supplier Beijing Jingyuntong Technology Co (JYT) has won an arbitration case against LDK Solar.

A recent reverse stock split has helped JA Solar regain NASDAQ stock market compliance in respect to a minimum bid price of US$1.00 per share. Failure to meet the bid price would have led to delisting from the exchange.

Continuing Kuwait government efforts to build-out a renewable energy mix for the future, Kuwait University (KU) has teamed with European R&D centre, imec on its silicon solar cell industrial affiliation program.

With the PV industry about enter a probable third year of turmoil, unsurprisingly the 'solar shakeout' has dominated our news coverage in 2012.

Solar wafer slurry recycling specialist SiC Processing has been granted self-administration while it goes through insolvency proceedings in the District Court of Amberg, Germany.

SMA Solar has entered the fast growing Chinese market by acquiring a majority stake in China-based start-up Jiangsu Zeversolar New Energy.

Specialist PV equipment supplier, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) said it would exit the Directional Solidification System (DSS) market altogether due to market conditions that are not expected to recover sufficiently to justify continued involvement in the sector.