Now that the end of the NextLight acquisition is drawing near, First Solar has turned its focus to the large-scale photovoltaic system solutions market with the formation of a utility systems business group. The company's chief financial officer of four years, Jens Meyerhoff, has been named president of the initiative. "With the pending completion of First Solar's acquisition of NextLight, this part of our global business represents the next leg of growth for our industry and First Solar," said Rob Gillette, First Solar CEO.
Sharp has signed an agreement with NED, the wholly owned independent power producer of Mitsubishi, based in the Kingdom of Thailand, to establish 73MW of thin-film solar power generation plants. The construction of the project, which is expected to be one of the largest in the world, will begin by the end of July for completion in 2011.
During Camstar Systems' "Summit on Solar Quality" held in Santa Clara, CA on June 30, industry thought leaders representing over thirty leading solar companies agreed that the industry must embrace the best known methods and technologies in order to advance product quality and accelerate grid parity.
BTU has recently received a $16 million order for solar cell processing equipment. BTU offers processing equipment for both silicon and thin-film PV applications. Recognition of this new revenue will be started in the fourth quarter of 2010 and continue through the first half of 2011.
One of the founders of thin-film PV manufacturer Solyndra has left the company to head a green energy storage company. Kelly Truman, the CIGS firm's former senior VP, will be the new president/CEO of Deeya Energy.
In an effort to prepare for volume manufacture, QuantaSol, the independent designer and manufacturer of strain-balanced quantum-well solar cells, has undergone significant restructuring.
In direct relation to an increase in demand for its metrology systems for PV applications, LayTec has expanded its distribution network with two new partners in Asia: DKSH Korea and MOS Technology.
In a double dose of new accomplishments, SRS Energy’s Sole Power Tile not only received Intertek ETL listing for UL 1703 certification, but was also recognized on the California Energy Commissions’’ (CEC) list for “Eligible SB1 Guideline Compliant Photovoltaic Modules".
In the closing of Series C funding, SunRun received $55 million for their renewable energy alternative for homeowner’s electricity. The financing round was led by Sequoia Capital and included Accel Partners and Foundation Capital. Series C funding followed SunRun and PG&E’s $100 million tax equity project financing agreement for SunRun installation in over 3,500 homes.
Strong demand for solar installations across multiple markets such as Europe, U.S., Japan, and China but especially Germany has forced market research firm Solarbuzz to increase its forecast for the solar industry in 2010. The firm has also made upward adjustments to its 2009 final installation figures to 7.5GW, compared to its previous projection of 7.3GW, issued in April.
