A recent report by market analysts Yole Développement has predicted that the PV equipment and materials markets will drive manufacturing cost reduction, leading to the purchase of in the region of 35GWp of new equipment by 2017. The report, “Crystalline Silicon PV: Technology, Equipment & Materials”, singles out the c-Si sector as facing a period of change whereby the low-efficiency portion of manufacturing capacity will be shut down in order to concentrate on the higher-yielding technologies.
Christopher Associates has announced that it is the US distributer of Tonsan’s sealant dispensing systems, additionally providing support for engineering and application of Tonsan systems for junction boxes and other applications.
The Italian PV association, Gruppo Imprese Fotovoltaiche Italiane (GIFI), had previously demanded the government provide verification for the drafts of the new energy bill to replace Conto Energia four floating around the internet. However, market research company Jefferies, following its attendance at a photon conference has advised caution to its investors to not believe a fifth energy bill has already been released. The government is to announce its decision either late spring or early summer.
AQT Solar advised that its Sunnyvale production facility had transitioned to a fully automated WIP management system, run by Sapphire Automation’s Emerald software platform. AQT noted that it had partnered with Sapphire in order to improve its equipment utilization and planning in order to ramp up its technology development and deployment cycles.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek has reported that R. Todd Neilson, a forensic accountant and former FBI special agent, has advised in a recent report filed with the US Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, that Solyndra communicated truthful information about its finances to the government before it claimed bankruptcy last year.
After announcing last October that it was halting polysilicon production at its German facility and cutting wafer jobs in the UK, it is perhaps no surprise that PV Crystalox Solar has posted some rather dreary numbers for 2011. Group revenue was €210.4 million, 17% lower than 2010, due to what the company stated was the effect of lower average selling prices. EBIT, before exceptional items, was €4.1 million, a 1.9% margin. The company did note that shipment volumes of 384MW were reached in 2011, compared to 378MW in 2010.
Ibereolica has announced that it has plans to build a 360MW solar power plant in the Atacama Desert in Chile, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Spanish company will invest US$2.6 billion in what will become the largest solar park in Chile to-date.
Solar cell manufacturer REC has launched the REC solar professional certification program. As part of the program, registered PV installers receive benefits like two years of extended warranties if they comply with the program’s standards.
German solar company Schott solar are in the process of installing a 17MW PV project with their Greek EPC partner Environ. The joint venture has already connected 10MW to the grid and has plans for further installations, totalling 7MW, across Greece. The project, one of the largest in Greece, is being financed by major European and Greek banks.
Suniva, Georgia-based solar module manufacturer, has announced that it will supply 2,892 of its 280W modules to a solar installation at the Bonnie Brae residential treatment centre for adolescent boys. Torcon Energy Services (TES) will install an 810kW ground-mounted PV system on Bonnie Brae’s campus, after the institution initiated some changes around campus to become more sustainable.
