Trina Solar has taken Despatch Industries over the edge and into their latest milestone – selling over 500 metallization firing furnaces in China. Trina placed a large order for Despatch’s unit to be used in its production expansion bring Despatch to claim 500 units have been sold in China.
According to the new Conto Energia III, Italy will reduce its funding for solar electricity in three phases starting from 2011. The cuts, which were first provisionally announced back in July, come in line with the current market conditions, which are forcing countries all over Europe to follow suit. However, despite these changes, EuPD Research remains positive that the Conto Energia III still offers a high degree of investment security.
Singulus Technologies has received further orders for its Singular inline coating systems from several unnamed customers in China. The company is to ship one of these Singular machines, which are used both for processes in the manufacturing of silicon solar cells and for refining new solar concepts, by the end of September 2010.
Comtec Solar Systems, together with its subsidiaries, has signed new wafer supply framework agreements, with price subject to negotiation, to provide major customers Gintech Energy, Jetion Solar, CHINT Group and Neosolar Power with a total of approximately 200MW in monocrystalline solar wafers. These orders are thus added to the existing agreements between Comtec and China Sunergy, JA Solar, Suntech and Canadian Solar.
Advanced Energy Industries (AEI) has achieved the highest overall market share in North America for its solar photovoltaic inverter products at the end of the first six months of 2010, according to IMS Research. Including its Solaron and PV Powered inverter product lines, AEI now holds a 24% share in the region, which is a two-fold increase over the past two years.
During the 25th EU PVSEC, AEG Power Solutions unveiled for the first time its new Thyrobox PI power system, which AEG claims will set new efficiency standards in polysilicon production. The Thyrobox PI allows manufacturers of polysilicon to increase the production output of their existing polysilicon reactors by 10% to 20%, consequently increasing the level of efficiency, depending on reactor configuration and process condition.
Hans Willemsen will be officially inaugurated as the new CEO for Scheuten Solar on September 15, 2010, as he takes over for Frans van den Heuvel who previously held the position before stepping down. Willemsen oversaw Shell Solar from 2004 until 2007 and was recently active as VP for Shell Clean Coal Energy in Asia.
Setting the lowest cost per watt production figures in the photovoltaics industry while ramping production past the 1GW level in 2009, should prove to be the key reasons why First Solar becomes the largest solar cell producer in 2009, leapfrogging Q-Cells and Sharp for the first time. According to market research firm, iSuppli Corp, First Solar is set to produce more than double the 503MW it made in 2008 and increase its market share as well as be responsible for nearly a third of global installations this year!
Masdar PV has reportedly improved the efficiency of its amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar modules to 7.4%, achieving an increase of over 1% in the past six months. "We have achieved this substantial increase in the efficiency of our modules because we have consistently focused on optimizing the production line in line with market requirements from the very outset."
Sputnik Engineering has said that beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010, it will be supplying the UK with its Swiss solar inverters. This news comes after recent investor concern that the UK does not have access to sufficient supplies of high-quality inverters and modules.
