Commemorating the opening of what has been deemed the world’s first hybrid solar power plant, Florida Power & Light was joined by state senators, public officials, business leaders and Florida’s Governor Rick Scott on the site of their 500-acre Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Martin County, Florida.
Dow Corning has named Samaro, a French specialty chemical product supplier, as the distributor for its silicon-based solar product solutions in France. The French company will be a technical resource and production base for Dow Corning’s solar division while delivering Dow Corning’s solar silicon products to local customers. Samaro has acted as Dow Corning Electronics’ French distributor and will additionally undertake the delivery of Dow Corning’s Molykote brand lubricant applications in North Africa.
RF Micro Devices (RFMD) has engineered a dual-junction PV cell that combines gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) PV junctions with its customary six-inch semiconductor equipment. RFMD looks to this new development as a way to progress towards triple-junction structures and reach their definitive goal of creating a commercially feasible and high volume-capable compound semiconductor-based process for high-performance PV cells.
Enphase Energy’s two new European offices, located in France and Italy, have been established in order for the company to better accommodate growing demands of its microinverter system. Both France and Italy have been cited as areas with a burgeoning solar market that stand on the brink of better implementing microinverter technology.
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) has two new PV performance and reliability laboratories in Northern California located in Berkeley and Davis, California. Lab services at the Berkeley site and outdoor field testing at the Davis facility were initiated in February.
Solyndra has recently closed on its new US$75 million in secured credit facility, which was underwritten by current investors. The company stated that the financing will go towards furthering its pursuit of cost reductions and implementing its channel expansion, segment sales and marketing stratagems.
Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley is the new home for Helios USA’s new manufacturing facility, which officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today. Helios, who states that they are the state’s first manufacturer of high-performance solar modules that can be used in residential, commercial, industrial and utility-based solar projects, is already manufacturing panels and shipping them across the U.S. from its new Wisconsin facility.
Concurrent to its OHSAS 18001 and SA8000 certifications, Suntech Power Holdings has been given the Global Leader Award 2011 from Murphy&Spitz; an award that honors sustainable organizations for their environmental, health and safety (EH&S) practices. Suntech noted that it is the first global solar company to receive both the OHSAS 18001 and SA8000 certifications.
Hanwha SolarOne and CNBM International have collectively extended their business relationship with a new order by CNBM International, which calls for Hanwha SolarOne to supply 50MW of it PV modules throughout 2011. The two companies originally entered into their business relationship in September 2010, when Hanwha SolarOne agreed to supply CNBM International with 10MW of PV modules during 2010.
In accordance with the strategic cooperation agreement signed by JA Solar Holdings and the Hefei City Government, JA Solar will be constructing a 3GW integrated solar industry production base for the company’s solar cells in Hefei, the capital city of East China’s Anhui, Province.
