U.S.-based PV installer Sunvalley Solar has added modules from TianWei SolarFilms to its list of product offerings. Sunvalley Solar has supply agreements for Canadian Solar's poly- and monocrystalline panels as well as for CEEG. TianWei SolarFilms will supply an unspecified amount of a-Si thin-film modules to Sunvalley Solar, which are now CEC (California Energy Commission) certified.
At least 100 new jobs are being created as Dow Chemical prepares volume production of its ‘Powerhouse’ Solar Shingles at its facility in Midland, Michigan, which will start to be marketed in 2011. This is a first-phase program to create over 1,200 jobs in Midland in the coming years.
Setting the lowest cost per watt production figures in the photovoltaics industry while ramping production past the 1GW level in 2009, should prove to be the key reasons why First Solar becomes the largest solar cell producer in 2009, leapfrogging Q-Cells and Sharp for the first time. According to market research firm, iSuppli Corp, First Solar is set to produce more than double the 503MW it made in 2008 and increase its market share as well as be responsible for nearly a third of global installations this year!
With approximately 15 entrants wanting to stake a claim in the emerging solar microinverter and DC-DC power optimization market, rapid growth is required to avoid failures. According to a new report from IMS Research, the market is forecasted to generate more than US$1.5 billion in revenues over the next five years with device shipments growing 100% per year, totalling more than 16 million units. As expected the key market will be residential, offering power output defence from shading and inverter failures, according to the market research firm.
According to centrotherm photovoltaics subsidiary, centrotherm SiTec has achieved a new cell efficiency record through an improved process in its crystallization furnace to produce multi-crystalline ingots. Further progress has also been claimed in boosting furnace capacity to 650kg without major modifications. Production conditions in a pilot line operation have produced average efficiencies of 16.6%, and a peak result of up to 17.0%, according to the company.
Product Briefing Outline: Critical Manufacturing’s cmNAVIGO 2.0 Solar Edition allows photovoltaic manufacturers to combine a highly flexible and pre-customized rich set of manufacturing execution and analytical solutions with tightly integrated quality tools. The MES software is designed to have a unique modeling versatility, enabling it to respond to the most demanding and complex scenarios in manufacturing plants.
The Stuttgart-based researchers at Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) have demonstrated a CIGS solar cell conversion efficiency of 20.3%. The area of the world record cell is 0.5 square centimetres and surpasses their previous record of 20.1%, established in April 2010.
Aggressive capacity expansion plans at Asia-based solar cell manufacturers has forced centrotherm photovoltaics to raise its revenue guidance to between €580 million to €600 million for 2010. Centrotherm had previously projected revenue growth of between €550 million and €580 million. Revenue in the first six months of 2010 increased 5.4% to €278.3 million. Its ‘Solar Cell & Module’ segment reported the best operating result in the company's history, with 23.4% EBIT margin for the first six months of 2010 and 27.2% in the second quarter. Revenue in the segment was up by 13.6% to €90.7 million. Total order backlog amounted to €864.0 million, more than one and a half times the 2009 revenue level.
Having been the managing director and COO at the centrotherm SiTec GmbH subsidiary for the last three years, Frank Stubhan has been appointed CEO of centrotherm photovoltaics AG's thin film module division, effective Sept. 1. 2010. Stubhan will be responsible for the next phase in the growth of its thin-film offerings, the company said.
Tasked with managing the integration of recently acquired companies as well as being in charge of production, quality management, supply chain amongst other duties, Roth & Rau has appointed former CEO of acquired OTB, Dr. Paul Breddels as its new Chief Operating Officer.
