A global survey conducted by IMS Research has found that an increasing number of PV inverter customers consider Chinese inverters to be of acceptable quality.
AQT Solar advised that using a low cost and production friendly sputter deposited copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) thin-film solar cell, it had achieved high efficiencies. The company noted that the same manufacturing-ready processes and platforms used for its CIGS 2.0 solar cells was dually acceptable for CZTS and dubbed the term CIGS 3.0 for its future CZTS products.
ESA Renewables advised that it had not only completed its latest 500kW PV rooftop array in North Carolina, but has also sold the system, for an undisclosed amount, to Holocene. The 500kW array spreads over 55,867 square feet and uses 2,016 panels from Canadian Solar. Electricity from the array will be sold to Progress Energy Carolinas.
IKEA teams up with REC Solar again to construct a now operational, 128,000ft2 PV array, consisting of a 1,026kW system and built with 4,186 panels. IKEA West Chester’s program will produce approximately 1,334,300kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,014 tons of CO2, eliminating the emissions of 180 cars or powering 115 homes yearly.
Continued restructuring, inventory sell-off and higher than expected price declines in the fourth quarter, further impacted fourth quarter and full-year financial results at Conergy. Preliminary revenue results were reported to have reached €755 million in 2011 but losses are expected to be in the range of €80-€85 million, higher than previously guided losses of €50 to €55 million. Operating cash flow was said to be positive in the fourth quarter.
According to Algerian newspaper El Watan, Edielec is to open a 12MW manufacturing facility producing about 54,000 solar modules annually. The plant is to become operational in March.
Investment companies are continuing to investigate opportunities in emerging markets, one of which is Ghana, which is being studied by a Korean company with a view to investing in the company’s solar market. The Ghana Energy Commission and Halla Energy and Environment, a Kyonggi-do, South Korea-based EPC company, have been in discussions to establish a framework under which the latter could invest in the development of 300MW of solar energy in the country.
With any emerging technology it is to be expected that there will be both winners and losers. According to a new report from Lux Research, few of the CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) thin-film manufacturers stand out, while others will find partners or wither away. According to the market research firm, 2011 was a breakout year for CIGS module shipments and installations, generating 1.2GW of demand. Lux is forecasting the CIGS market to reach 2.3GW in 2015, generating US$2.35 billion in revenue.
Financially challenged Q-Cells said it will restructure its finances in 2 key steps to avoid payment defaults to bondholders. The company confirmed 2011 revenue forecast of around €1 billion but said total losses for the year had yet to be concluded. Q-Cells guided a further decline in revenue in 2012 to approximately €865 million. A return to profitability was not expected until 2014, though this would only occur should all three outstanding convertible bond renegotiations prove successful.
Industrial wastewater treatment (IWT) system manufacturer Saita srl has successfully installed an IWT for an unnamed Belgian solar cell manufacturer. This installation, which claims to recycle 97% of the wastewater used in the multicrystalline cell manufacturing process, marks the second such system installed by Saita, and the Italian company has set its sights on expanding the uptake of such systems across the PV manufacturing industry.
