News

SunPower plans to be the first silicon wafer-based photovoltaic producer to build and ramp a single 1GW facility with the announcement that it will start construction of Fab 3 in Malaysia later in 2008. The two-phase capacity expansion will see the first phase come on-stream in 2010 with 14 solar cell production lines with a nameplate capacity of 40 megawatts each. Phase two will see Fab 3 top 1GW in annual capacity, according to SunPower.

As part of wider plan to leverage advanced research at IBM to significantly reduce the cost-per-watt of solar photovoltaics from silicon cells, thin-film and concentrator photovoltaics (CPV), IBM scientists are developing a more powerful CPV technology that they claim could lead to a significant breakthrough for utility-scale applications.

Sunfilm AG has placed its second turnkey ‘SunFab’ tandem junction thin-film line order with Applied Materials. The first line (60MW) is due to come on stream in July 2008 using a tandem junction cell for greater conversion efficiencies, using ultra-large 5.7m2 glass substrates. The second line is expected to become operational in approximately one year from the start-up of the first line.

Applied Materials has launched a program that supports customers of its PV thin-film ‘SunFab’ turnkey production line with specific guarantees in respect to ramp, efficiency optimization and productivity as well as enabling continuous cost reductions based on megawatt output. Applied said that it has also signed a multiyear agreement for the service with T-Solar Global S.A. of Spain.

Technology development partners Sunovia Energy Technologies and EPIR Technologies have claimed a breakthrough in growing single crystalline CdTe/Si more rapidly in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) tool that could lead to the faster commercialization of their proprietary solar cell technology.

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. has signed an agreement with Hanau Energies SAS to supply a 4.5MW building integrated PV system (BIPV) to a farm located in Alsace, France.  The 4.5MW installation is anticipated to be completed by January 2009 with an additional 1MW already being planned.

Vertically integrated solar cell manufacturer Solar Power Industries has placed a second long-term order for solar grade silicon with Becancour Silicon, which sees the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania producer receive an additional 3,000 metric tons per year from 2010 to 2015. The initial supply agreement anticipated shipments of solar grade silicon in excess of 4,000 metric tons over its initial period of 5 years.

Sheldon Reinhart, former CFO for Strategy First, Inc. has been appointed CFO and COO of ICP Solar Technologies, Inc. Bringing over 20 years of finance and technology experience to the role, Mr. Reinhart will oversee the company’s financial affairs and global operations in the role that was vacated by Leon Assayag in early May, who left the company to pursue other opportunities.

Yingli Green Energy has said that it has entered into a new sales contract with IBC Solar AG to deliver a minimum of 35MW of PV modules to IBC from May 2008 to December 2008 for use in projects based in Germany.

An Ernst & Young report based on data from Dow Jones VentureOne noted that investments by U.S.-based venture capitalists in the solar energy sector reached $132.4 million in 1Q08, a 136 percent increase over the same period in 2007.