NanoMarkets has begun a new research effort focusing on the opportunities for suppliers of metals and related materials used in solar photovoltaics. Metals covered in the program will include silver, indium, tin, cadmium, aluminum, molybdenum and zinc.
Arizona State University will install 3.3 MW of solar PV panels on its West campus in Phoenix, part of the second phase of the school's overall solarization project. Construction on the system is expected to begin this summer and be completed in December.
Despite the difficult economic conditions, First Solar saw its quarter-to-quarter revenues slip slightly while its income rose and its gross margin improved during the first quarter. The company also showed marked increases in its manufacturing production and capacity numbers, improvements in its average capacity per production line, and further reduction in its manufacturing cost per watt. The thin-film PV company also announced that its board had begun looking for a new CEO to replace long-time chief executive Michael Ahearn, who will step into a new role as executive chairman.
Red Sun Energy has opened what is being called the first solar module factory in Vietnam. The facility, which will have a capacity of 5 MW during its initial phase of operations, is located in the Duc Hoa Industrial Park in southern Long An province.
SunEdison has signed up integrator REC Solar as its first channel partner. The North American solar energy services company's channel program provides national installers and integrators increased project financing capabilities, including the ability to deliver projects via a solar power purchase agreement. The PV systems developed under the program also receive SunEdison's service, maintenance, and monitoring capabilities through its advanced control and management technologies.
In an expansion of an existing relationship, Opel International will supply more high-concentration photovoltaic systems to Spanish solar integrator Betasol for a 2.375-MW, dual-axis-tracking HCPV project. Betasol has obtained a bank guarantee worth €1,187,500 and has applied for permits to build a new utility-grade solar farm.
Oregon's loss is New York's gain, as crystalline-silicon solar cell manufacturing start-up SpectraWatt said that it will build its first factory in IBM territory in Hopewell Junction, NY. The venture-backed Intel spinoff originally chose Hillsboro, OR, as its base of operations, but suspended construction there earlier this year while it searched for another site.
Canadian Solar has been selected to supply 1.6 MW of photovoltaic panels for 80,000 solar home systems for rural households in the Chinese province of Sichuan. The project was initiated and financed by China's Ministry of Agriculture and the Sichuan provincial government.
Incentives will lead to a more than doubling of Italy's installed solar photovoltaic capacity--from about 440MW to 900MW--by the end of 2009, according to a Reuters report of an Italian government agency study.
In response to what it calls "the challenging market environment for the solar industry" and subsequent buildup in its inventories in the 1Q, REC Solar has decided to slash its 2Q production of solar PV cells and modules by nearly 50%. As a result, about 180 employees will either be laid off, temporarily laid off, or subject to rescheduling of vacation time.
