News

German machine supplier 4JET has reported a high order intake in its thin-film photovoltaics business. The company will supply laser equipment, edge deletion systems, glass drilling modules, and busbar stripping equipment to 10 different production lines for CIGS and CdTe manufacturing through mid-2011.

SolarBridge Technologies has chosen Celestica to manufacture its SolarBridge Pantheon microinverter. The companies have been working together for over a year, having completed design for manufacture (DFM), design for test (DFT) and qualification builds at Celestica's facility in Toronto, Canada.

First Reserve has closed its financial facilities agreement for the Rovigo solar plant at €276 million. The private equity firm bought the 70MW PV plant from Sun Edison, with whom they had previously established a joint venture, this past September. Banco Santander, Unicredit Corporate Banking, Credit Agricole, Dexia Crediop, Natixis and Societe Generale were additional lenders with First Reserve for the financing agreement.

RMT will be entering the Canadian renewable energy market as RMT Canada Construction and offer site development support, engineering and construction services for wind and solar energy facilities. RMT has been in the designing and building business for wind energy since 1996 and currently has their engineering, procurement and construction services utilized at over 429MW of wind energy and 340MW of solar energy projects.

Colorado Springs Utilities and SunPower have signed an agreement to design and construct a 6MW solar photovoltaic power system at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs. Construction at the 30-acre site will begin in November 2010 for completion in the summer of 2011.

Regardless of what market research data you rely on, the analysts agree: the photovoltaics market is expected to grow considerably in 2010. Even the most hawkish of forecasts would therefore expect PV installations to almost double from 2009, creating a demand somewhere near 14GW in 2010. According to Bernreuter Research, which specializes in tracking the polysilicon market, polysilicon production in 2010 should be sufficient to produce the equivalent of 17GW of c-Si modules.

Azure Power and SunEdison will develop a 15MW solar photovoltaic power plant in Gujarat, India. The investment, for which Azure will stump up US$40 million, is being led by Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC), an agency of the U.S. government, while World Bank arm IFC, and venture capital firms Helion Advisors and Foundation Capital are among others expected to get involved.

The Indian Government has warned that all companies that have been placed on the shortlist to qualify for incentives under the country's program to boost solar power generation will have to submit final bids by Nov. 16, reports Bloomberg.

CNPV Solar Power and AE Photonics have entered into an extended long-term strategic partnership agreement for the supply of 300MWp photovoltaic modules from 2011 to 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, CNPV will supply AE Photonics with 60MWp during 2011 and then deliver 96MWp and 144MWp in 2012 and 2013, respectively. This is the largest contract in the history of both companies.

Renewable energy engineering and construction company RMT has joined forces with Pilesgrove Solar, a joint venture between Panda Power Funds and Con Edison Development, in order to construct an 18MW solar energy facility located in Pilesgrove, NJ. Once complete, the plant is expected to be the largest in Northeastern America.