Coming off the strong year that was 2010 in the global solar photovoltaic world, Solarbuzz’s Quarterly report has countered that 2011 may be a rockier road. The research company is estimating that Germany’s first quarter 2011 end-market demand for solar PV has been performing at less than 50% of what it was in the first quarter of 2010 and maintains that even though module manufacturers worldwide have been reducing prices, the market has yet to feel a positive effect.
Following its 2010 acquisition of Singapore-based Novomatrix, Solutia’s performance films unit will be expanding its manufacturing capacity with the purchase of selected assets of Taiwan-based conductive film manufacturer Aimcore Technology. The US$7 million deal will allow Solutia to increase its manufacturing capacity in Asia while also multiplying its Flexvue film component production. The escalation in Solutia’s production capacity is anticipated to be on-line during the second half of 2011.
3U Solar Systemhandel has entered into a framework contract where it will acquire 25MW of Canadian Solar PV modules. The contract is valued at €30 million for 2011 with its parent company, 3U Holding guaranteeing the financing of the agreement. Additionally, 3U Solar signed a second supply contract with an unidentified trading and project company based in Berlin, Germany. The second contract holds a €18.5 million value.
Abound Solar is making its entrance into the Indian market under a long-term sales agreement with Solarsis. The companies aim to promote Abound’s thin-film modules to project developers in the country’s burgeoning solar market. Additionally, Solarsis will create a test facility catering to the enhancement of balance of system (BoS) designs that center on Abound Solar’s thin-film modules. The collaboration's first project will be a 1MW ground-mount solar array in Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Specifics about the financial terms of the agreement or the amount and timing of module shipments were not revealed.
In 2008, Hawaiian Electric sent out renewable energy project proposal requests for Oahu, Hawaii under the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) competitive bidding framework. As a result of that request, SunPower and Hawaiian Electric have agreed to a 20-year PPA with energy being produced from a 5MW solar farm at Kalaeloa in West Oahu. SunPower will design, build and operate the plant using its solar panels and SunPower Tracker system.
Siemens Industry has debuted a new program that allows customers to take advantage of solar power benefits without making a large initial capital investment. The Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) platform from Siemens building technologies division presents all different customers the chance to take part in the PPA, but is especially aimed to entice the public sector who is unable to take advantage of solar federal tax incentives.
Subhendu Guha, Jeff Yang and Baojie Yan of thin-film solar module manufacturer United Solar, a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, have been granted U.S. Patent 7,902,049 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for their “method of depositing high-quality microcrystalline semiconductor materials.” The patent was granted to the company just a few months after it announced that the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory had conducted testing resulting in a 12% initial conversion of the nanocrystalline technology.
Just fifteen miles outside of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam’s Dong Nam Industrial Park, First Solar has begun construction on its four-line PV module manufacturing plant. The ground breaking of First Solar’s US$300 million Vietnamese plant comes one week after the company announced its plans for a second U.S. manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona. Commercial production at the Vietnam site is slated to begin during the second half of 2012.
During the European Photovoltaics Industry Association’s (EPIA) annual general meeting in Paris, France, the members of the association elected Dr. Martin Heming as its new director of the board. In addition to his board appointment, Heming serves as Schott Solar’s CEO.
David Goldman and Jay Meridew have joined Solon as executives in the company’s finance division. Goldman has been appointed the new vice president of project finance and strategic planning and will manage all financing for Solon’s commercial and utility-scale solar projects. Meridew will oversee accounting and information technology practices in his role as vice president of finance.
