After recently announcing that it had shipped its first international trichlorosilane (TCS) delivery, SunSi Energies has advised that the first phase of the expansion for its Wendeng TCS facility in Weihai City, China is complete. The expansion increased the facility’s production capacity by 50%, or 10,000MT, to 30,000MT.
Clean Power Finance (CPF) is in the midst of what is shaping up to be quite a promising month. The company recently closed a US$25 million investment led by new investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), received a US$3 million US Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot award and appointed three new board members and a new CEO.
On August 15, Tsumkwe, a small village in Northern Namibia was able to receive its first, around-the-clock electricity supply in three years thanks to a hybrid solar system completed by juwi Solar. The 200kW system, consisting of a 1MW battery storage unit and three integrated diesel generators, is claimed to be one of Africa’s largest off-grid solar systems and supplies Tsumkwe’s public buildings and 100 private households with electricity.
Upsolar modules installed around the world are eligible for the company’s newly extended warranty for its standard solar module. The extension, which doubles the previous coverage from 5 years to 10 years, covers customers’ modules for defects in materials or workmanship.
GE Capital Real Estate and SunEdison flipped the switch on the first two of fifteen solar rooftop systems, which fall under the Ontario FiT program. The solar projects are part of GE Capital Real Estate’s environmental sustainability initiative with SunEdison agreeing to build and operate all fifteen of the PV systems.
Alex Solar, a R&D, manufacture, sales and technical service provider for crystalline silicon solar modules and PV application systems, announced its latest investment in an 8MW solar power plant located in Potsdam, Berlin. The company noted that this is one of several investments it is making in solar projects throughout Berlin and Munich.
Schott Solar advised that it had achieved 20.2% efficiency on its monocrystalline screen-printed solar PV cell; a feat that was confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE). The 4.92W cell uses an industrial sized 156mm x 156mm wafer, which led Schott to maintain that this is the first PV cell of its size to reach this efficiency.
Applied Materials (AMAT) posted a solid financial outcome upon the release of its third quarter 2011 results. Although the company noted that its overall Q3 orders and net sales were down 25% and 3%, respectively, compared to Q2 2011, AMAT still completed the quarter with US$2.39 billion in generated orders and saw its net sales reach the upper end of its previous guidance at US$2.79 billion. Non-GAAP operating income was US$683 million, with a non-GAAP net income of US$467 million, or US$0.35 per share.
Five of First Solar’s senior executives, using personal funds, purchased a combined total of 5,500 shares of the company stock during one of four annual open trading windows for the company’s directors and Section 16 officers. The purchases have been reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission in Form 4 filings where appropriate.
SunPeak Solar advised that it had selected Suntech Power Holdings to supply 28.7MW (DC) of its solar panels for its 23MW (AC) solar project in Niland, California. Suntech will supply 100,000 of its 285/290W Vd-Series modules, which feature its SuperPoly silicon processing technology. SunPeak Solar’s subsidiary, Imperial Valley Solar Company (IVSC) 1, will manage the project’s construction and installation of the modules.
