News

Stefan Thiel (pictured) has been appointed to the role of Sales Managerfor the solar cell manufacturer, taking over from Franz Ziering. ersol’s sales and strategic purchasing sectors...

Global Solar Energy has claimed that in December, 2007 it became the first Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) thin-film solar manufacturer to achieve an average of 10 percent solar cell efficiency on a flexible substrate over ‘several production runs.’

Voltaix, LLC has said that it has significantly increased theproduction of trimethylboron to meet growing demand from the PVthin-film manufacturing industry. The product specifications for oxygenand other key contaminants have also been improved to ensure that theproduct will continue to meet the performance requirements of the solarindustry, the company said.

AOS Solar, a thin film silicon-on-glass start-up of2005, claims that it is aiming to achieve a 90 percent reduction in theamount of silicon its technology requires with a 50 percent energybudget reduction and a reduction in capital equipment costs of 50percent. This combination of crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV efficiencywith thin film manufacturing economics will be presented for the firsttime at the www.ibfconferences.com nanotechnology investment forum in Palm Springs, February 6.

Nanotechnology and engineering expert Professor T. C. Yih has beenadded to Octillion’s Advisory Board. He brings years of experience innanosystems, solar energy and bio-electro-mechanic systems, amongothers, to the company’s Advisory Board.

Consarc Corporation has announced that it will form a new division tobuild and market furnaces for solar grade silicon volume production.The company currently makes vacuum and controlled atmosphere furnacetechnologies for the processing of metals, specialty alloys andengineered materials. Consarc is a subsidiary of Inductotherm Group.

Komax Group said that 2007 sales increased by approximately 10 percent, reaching CHF 350 million. Asia growth was put at 70 percent, while European revenues grew by 1 percent. Order intake rose by 19 percent from CHF 328 million in 2006 to CHF 389 million in 2007.

ersol Thin Film GmbH has announced its first commercial sales contractfor its ‘Nova-T’ solar modules since investing over €80 million in theproduction of thin-film modules. The contract is with K+C Schmidt GbRfor the supply of approximately 500 kWp modules, which is expected togo on stream shortly in Grevenbroich, Germany, the company said.

Wafer prep equipment specialist, Akrion, Inc. has entered thephotovoltaic market with the announcement that a GAMA immersioncleaning system has been qualified for an advanced solar cleaningapplication for an unidentified solar cell manufacturer.

SCHOTT Solar is to begin construction of a 200,000 square foot facilityin Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque, New Mexico at an initial cost of $100million that will be used to manufacture critical components for solarthermal receivers and photovoltaic (PV) panels. 350 jobs will beinitially created and as many as 1,500 jobs could be created when allphases of the plant are complete.