The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory is home to a newly completed 32MW solar array in New York known as the Long Island Solar Farm (LISF). Representatives from Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), BP Solar International and Brookhaven National Lab were flanked by government and environmental leaders as they celebrated the official completion and commissioning of the system.
Just a handful of days after the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission agreed to open an investigation into SolarWorld’s claims that China is dumping solar panels in the US far below US costs, the China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (CPIA) is launching its own counteroffensive with the claim that the US is dumping polysilicon at below cost prices in China.
New entrant to the PV project business, 3U Holding said it will build its first PV power plant in Adelebsen, Lower Saxony. Unlike typical projects, 3U Holding will use acquired derelict industrial area of approximately 26 hectares with buildings that will house rooftop arrays of mainly Canadian Solar modules as well as a ground-mounted array as a second phase development. The Rooftop part of the project is expected to be completed before the end of 2011. The total investment is expected to be in the range of €25 million.
Kaneka Corporation has signed a licensing agreement with Q-Cells for two patents related to a heat insulator spacer for solar cell based modules. The patents, EP 1009037 and US6300555 cover European and US patents owned by Kaneka.
The weak demand that has blighted the solar industry for much of 2011 is likely continue into the new year, according to a new report on the US market from ClearSky Advisors. Despite a growth in installed capacity, overcapacity in the supply chain will continue to affect module prices, with ClearSky forecasting these to fall for at least the first half of 2012.
Coveme has become one of Europe’s first PV manufacturers to start operating out of China by building a facility in Jiangsu Province. The site is focusing production on the company’s dyMat PYE backsheets and has been fitted with the latest lamination, coating and heat stabilization technology.
On Thursday, US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu addressed the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the Solyndra loan controversy. He blamed the Solyndra failure on a sharp drop in the price of solar cells.
First Solar revealed that since it began commercial production in 2002, the company had officially reached a cumulative production of 5GW, or 66 million solar modules. "This milestone helps advance our mission of providing clean solar electricity at affordable prices. Our ability to scale high-volume production has been a key factor in reducing the cost of renewable energy," said Tymen DeJong, First Solar senior vice president of global manufacturing.
After a record revenue financial year, Applied Materials is experiencing a significant reduction in equipment orders and revenue from PV manufacturing customers. Though cancellations were minimal, backlog decreased by 26% to US$2.4 billion, of which 14% is within its EES division, which includes PV equipment. Management expects PV related global CapEx to at fall by at least 50% in 2012 as manufacturers combat massive overcapacity and focus on cell efficiency improvements and technology buys.
