Toronto-based start-up Morgan Solar said that it has increased its first-round investment funding to $8.2 million (US) from the $4.7 million announced in October 2009. Strategic investors in the initial round include Iberdrola, Nypro, venture capital firm Turnstone Capital Management (which led the round), and two unnamed Canadian VC groups.
Xandex's solar division said that TUV Rheinland of North America has certified its SunMizer DC power optimizer for photovoltaic panels to U.S. and European safety standards. The testing lab certified the device to both the UL 1741 and GS S1 requirements.
New Jersey's Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) has selected four sites and developers for more than $50 million in investments in 12MW of grid-connected solar power. The utility says that it hopes to start construction at the sites located in the communities of Edison, Hamilton, Linden and Trenton this spring, with the projects completed during the summer and fall.
Despatch Industries has sold its first dryer and firing furnace solar-cell manufacturing system into China. The company said that the UltraFlex tool was bought by a top 10 Chinese cell producer.
One of the prime movers in Ascent Solar's efforts to develop roll-to-roll commercial manufacturing of the company's flexible CIGS thin-film PV modules is retiring. Prem Nath, Ascent's senior VP of production operations, will leave the firm on Jan. 15, 2010. He will continue to work with the company as a consultant.
Financially strapped polysilicon start-up Hoku Scientific and Tianwei New Energy Holdings have closed the deal giving Tianwei a majority investment in Hoku. As a result of the agreement, Hoku has issued orders to resume full-scale construction of its poly plant in Pocatello, ID, and authorize the shipment of equipment that had been placed on hold pending Hoku's receipt of financing.
Motech has signed an agreement to buy GE Energy’s solar photovoltaic module assembly operation located in Newark, DE. The 34MW-capacity crystalline silicon PV panel plant, which GE bought from AstroPower in 2004 and planned to close down next year, employs 75 people.
High-concentration photovoltaics firm Amonix has completed the acquisition of Sunworks Solar, adding much of the newly acquired company's management team in the process. Sunworks cofounder and former SunEdison head Brian Robertson becomes CEO of Amonix, Sunworks cofounder Guy Blanchard joins the CPV company as SVP of sales and corporate development, and Matthew Meares, former Sunworks managing director, takes on the role of director of project finance.
Another $6 million in grants may soon be awarded to several solar manufacturers in Ohio, thanks to the state's Third Frontier Photovoltaic Program. The recommendation announcement came last week; the awards are contingent on the approval of the state's Controlling Board. The program supports the R&D that addresses the technical and cost barriers to commercialization of PV components and systems in Ohio.
In another example of American states taking the solar bull by the horns, Pennsylvania will invest more than $10 million in 12 new projects, following the Commonwealth Financing Authority's approval. The awards are distributed mostly to planned photovoltaic installations, with a total capacity of >9.1MW, and include brownfield sites, rooftop systems, and commercial deployments.
