In reporting its fourth-quarter earnings, Applied Materials (AMAT) announced net sales within its Energy & Environmental Services (EES) segment (which includes PV tool revenues) of US$606 million. Accordingly, Solarbuzz equipment supplier analysis reveals that AMAT has just reached a significant landmark: the first equipment supplier to reach and exceed the US$1 billion barrier for PV-specific trended ttm tool revenues. Certainly, this achievement offers comfort to tool suppliers that the PV segment has grown to an appreciable level. However, while every other PV tool supplier would welcome reaching this milestone, AMAT’s road taken to the US$1 billion PV revenue mark has been far from incident free.
The InnoLas ILS TT laser processing system is designed to execute a variety of laser processing techniques such as Selective Emitter, Contact Opening, Junction Isolation, LFC, EWT and MWT to achieve improved cell efficiencies. A system for production scale manufacturing as well as pilot line research and development, the system is equipped with a high speed turntable and custom tooling to fit specific processing steps.
STMicroelectronics has released details of a patented high-efficiency circuit and dedicated optimized power components. ST’s new design, called BC2 (Back-Current Circuit) is claimed to produce cost savings while helping designers comply with the highest power-efficiency standards. The new circuit and power components are ideally suited for boost or buck converters, which are power devices that are usually used in solar inverters.
At the end of October, the Czech government approved special measures against the ongoing solar boom in the country. Many of these measures are being abruptly negotiated and passed by the Czech Parliament so that they can take effect starting in January 2010. One of these measures will be a brand-new retroactive ‘solar tax’ imposed on producers of solar energy.
It seems such an obvious thing that solar PV should be ubiquitous within ±35° latitude around the equator—otherwise know as the Sunbelt. It also has 75% of the world's population and 40% of the global electricity demand. Yet few actual installations to date are within this region.
DuPont Performance Polymers has tailored its portfolio of thermoplastic materials and design knowledge to the needs of the photovoltaic industry, including the CPV and CSP sector. DuPont has developed two specific grades of ‘DuPont Rynite’ polyethylene terephtalate (PET) that are claimed to reduce the total cost of manufacturing, assembling and installing photovoltaic systems.
Product Briefing Outline: ACI-ecotec GmbH & Co. KG has developed a new inline wafer separation system suitable for separating mono- and polycrystalline wafers in all common formats with thicknesses of up to 120 µm. The new ecoSplit IXL has an output capacity of at least 3000 wafers per hour, and the especially gentle, patented separation technology makes it possible to reduce breakage rates to a low as 0.1%.
Product Briefing Outline: 3M has introduced its Ultra Barrier Solar Film for flexible thin-film technologies into volume manufacturing. The product is the result of more than a decade of development in transparent barrier technology, having the potential to drastically reduce the total system costs for rooftop solar installations. The film's unique module form factor also offers an array of niche applications.
Product Briefing Outline: STMicroelectronics has introduced the SPV1001, which replaces the simple bypass diode with an intelligent device that enhances efficiency and offers the same package outline. The new device can deliver a fast Return-On-Investment, in terms of releasing additional energy for solar panel applications.
