Taiyo Pacific Partners has upped its stake in Japan-based Ulvac to 18%, following its purchase of a 5% shares stake in September 2009. Taiyo is now Ulvac’s largest shareholder Pacific Partners and has, since its initial investment in 2009, acted as a “long-term friendly investor providing valuable advice and support”, according to Ulvac’s president Hidenori Suwa.
Flexible CIGS module manufacturer Global Solar Energy has initiated the steps to attract new investment, enlisting the services of FTI Capital Advisors to investigate new investor participation that could see the partial or complete takeover of the company.
Thin-film CIGS manufacturer AQT Solar has announced its completion of a significant phase of its CZTS prototype module development, producing a 60-watt module in collaboration with its manufacturing partners. Earlier this year, the company revealed that it had achieved high efficiencies with its sputter-deposited CZTS thin-film solar cell.
A specialized AC cable harness has been jointly developed and designed by ArrayPower and Phoenix Contact using ArrayPower’s Sequenced Inverter technology. Silicon Valley-based electronics company ArrayPower’s sequenced inverter is paired with a solar module to convert the DC power produced by solar cells into grid-ready, three-phase AC power.
Pakistan’s slow economic growth and energy shortage could be coming to an end if proposals from Suntech to establish 100MW in the country are realized. Speaking at a meeting of ministerial officials, Dr Shi Zhengrong, chairman of Suntech, announced plans for the phased installation of plants with a generating capacity of 20MW each.
Having increased the allocation of solar projects to 350MW by 2016, in February this year, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development (KREDL) is in the process of seeking government approval for a solar park, following in the footsteps of states like Gujarat. KREDL wishes to build the 1,000 hectare solar park at Mannur village in Bijapur, India, through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. According to the chairman of KREDL, C.M. Nimbannavar, the site is expected to generate 500MW of solar power.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) has appointed CPV expert Geoffrey S. Kinsey, Ph.D. to the role of director of its Photovoltaic Technologies Group. Dr. Kinsey joins the organization from his former role as senior director of R&D at Amonix, where he led a team working on the optimization of III-V multijunction cells for solar power generators, recently reaching a module efficiency of 33% in outdoor operating conditions.
CNPV Solar Power executives were on hand, May 2, at Enel Green Power’s inauguration ceremony for its solar geothermal hybrid project in Stillwater, Nevada. CNPV supplied its PV modules for the project, which has 33MW of geothermal capacity and 26MW of solar capacity. Initiated and owned by Enel Green Power, the project is said to be the world’s first and only geothermal hybrid project.
Bisol’s latest generation of EasyMount high density polyethylene (HDPE) mounting systems will be launched at Intersolar Europe next week. This second generation of mounting systems are said to be lighter than their predecessor; made specifically for Bisol’s module range, the mounting systems are claimed to allow more efficient cooling of the PV modules they support.
As the largest merchant solar cell producer, JA Solar continues to be impacted by rapidly declining prices as overcapacity continues thought the supply chain. Emphasis has therefore shifted to module production and shipments, though a return to profitability remains a distant goal. First quarter shipments which included cells and modules that exceeded guidance at 366MW, while revenue reached US$254.4 million, down 17.7% from the prior quarter and 56%, year-on-year. Net loss for the quarter was US$39.8 million.
