Flamac, a unit of SIM vzw, advised that it will work with imec to develop new semiconductor materials for solar cell applications. The collaboration will see the companies produce materials that are alternates for the standard CIGS solar cells.
Oerlikon CEO, Andreas Dill has been appointed a member of the SEMI Europe Advisory Board. Dill comes from an engineering background having joined the Swiss company in 1998 and has served in a succession of senior management positions. He is also a board member of Colibrys and Cicor Technology.
Unable to secure closure on a previous deal to sell its solar project pipeline to solarhybrid and investor funding for its planned expansion of its Ibersol parabolic trough power plant project, Solar Millennium has filed for the opening of insolvency proceedings at the district court in Fuerth, Germany. The module supply deal between First Solar and solarhybrid becomes suspect.
Sunny Day Energy and Silfab Ontario have entered into an agreement to supply approximately 5MWp of high efficiency domestic content modules. A number of rooftop projects in the Greater Toronto area will benefit from the modules which range in size between 200 and 500KWp each.
JA Solar Holdings revealed that its Maple solar cells had reached an 18.5% conversion efficiency level in large volume production, with the average conversion efficiency for the Maple cells in mass production being recorded at 18%. The new record for JA Solar is noted as being higher than the industry’s standard average conversion efficiency for multicrystalline solar cells of nearly 16.8%.
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has given an exclusive patent licence to equipment specialist, Natcore Technology to use its diffused emitter technology ‘Black Silicon’ with Natcore’s liquid phase deposition (LPD) technology. The black silicon process has been claimed by Natcore scientists and NREL researchers to reduce average reflectivity to less than 1.5%, compared to current advanced antireflective coatings that are said to reduce the average reflectivity to approximately 6%. The aim is to commercialize the technology in 2012.
China Sunergy’ s Quasar modules were granted safety and reliability certificates by TÜV Rheinland Group after conducting independent tests to prove that the PV modules are safe and will deliver the guaranteed rated power in different environmental conditions. China Sunergy noted that the TÜV Rheinland certificates for its Quasar modules are valid for five years through November 16, 2016 and that the certification will allow it to scale up sales of its Quasar modules across Europe.
NPD Solarbuzz’s latest Solarbuzz Quarterly report states that global demand is projected to grow 6% in 2012, with market declines in Europe to be offset by 43% growth outside that region. Therefore, solar companies will face the challenge of re-building margins during a period of increasing diversity in end solar market mix. PV companies will need to shift focus from seeking market share to instead prioritizing a return to profitability after losses incurred throughout the industry following problems with over-production, excess inventories and collapsing market process.
In a brief market update, aleo solar said that it expected losses in 2011 to be in the range of €25-€30 million. The PV module manufacturer had reported an EBIT profit of €7.4 million, with an EBIT margin of 2.2% for the first 9-months of the year.
Following the Canadian government’s announcement to reduce FiT prices for new projects, The Green Energy Act Alliance and Shine Ontario Association have joined forces by releasing the Ontario Feed-in Tariff 2011 Review: More Jobs, Affordable, Clean Energy, and a Brighter Future for Ontario report. The groups represent Canada’s leading environmental and energy groups, as well as the key players in Canada’s solar industry.
