Atlumin Energy has begun fabricating monolithic `barking’ (dog bone) rotary molybdenum sputtering targets for solar thin-film module manufacturing. Barking targets offer superior material utilization, while monolithic targets offer higher density and higher purity than traditionally fabricated targets.
National Semiconductor has released the ‘SolarMagic’ ‘MYPVDATA’ Solar Operations Center (SOC). The software as a service (SaaS) offering helps users analyze data collected from the PV array by delivering information through an easy-to-use web-interface.
Enercon Industries Corporation is introducing the new ‘Plasma4’ in-line atmospheric plasma surface treatment system for the cleaning and functionalizing of roll-to-roll materials used for fabricating photovoltaic systems.
GT Solar International has announced the commercial release of the ‘DSS650,’ multi-crystalline ingot growth systems for the solar PV industry. The DSS650 can grow significantly larger silicon ingots averaging 625 kg - resulting in 25 percent more output.
There was a significant increase in the number of new products announced throughout the PV supply chain in 2010, compared to previous years. A key trend has been products focused on the utility-scale market, such as central inverters and technologies designed to cut the balance of system (BOS) costs for installations. In our review of the Top 10 most viewed products on the PV-Tech website, the diversity in the list is refreshing and covers a wide-range of subjects from solar cell metallization pastes to modules and inverters.
Evonik has introduced a highly transparent and also weathering-resistant barrier film based on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) that can replace glass plates as a front cover.
Alan King of Canadian Solar notes that while the extension of the U.S. Treasury's 1603 cash grant program has positive implications for the solar industry in 2011 and beyond, there's much work still to be done to increase PV's percentage of the country's overall energy portfolio.
