High-purity materials supplier 5N Plus has signed a long-term supply agreement with cadmium-telluride thin-film module producer Abound Solar. Under the terms of the deal, 5N Plus will provide CdTe compounds to be used in the manufacturing of Abound's PV panels.
World Cup sponsor Yingli Green Energy posted strong revenue, gross margin, and net income numbers in the second quarter, with sequential increases shown across the board. The vertically integrated Chinese solar manufacturer said it experienced a substantial increase in PV module shipments during the period ended June 30 and still expects to hit between 950MW and 1GW in total panel shipments for 2010.
DRI Energy has completed a 1MW ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation at the Mercer Foods facility in Modesto, CA. The project was accomplished in 33 days, meeting the deadline required in order to preserve Mercer Foods' solar rebate from Modesto Irrigation District (MID).
SolarWorld is to present the 2010 SolarWorld Einstein Award to Nobel Peace Prize laureate and micro-finance pioneer Muhammad Yunus in September. The award is being presented in recognition of Yunus' micro-loans for the poor, created through Grameen Bank, of which he is founder, which have made possible the installation of more than 400,000 small solar power systems, securing energy supplies for people in rural regions of Bangladesh who live far from the national utility grid.
Suntech saw revenues and shipments grow to record levels during the second quarter, but the Chinese solar manufacturer experienced a net loss for the period because of impairment charges related to the shutdown of its thin-film PV efforts and prepayment provisions as part of its stake in the Shunda solar-wafer venture. Because of continuing strong demand, the company has raised its PV module shipment guidance for 2010 by 200MW and has increased its targeted production capacity to meet the larger shipment number.
Trina Solar's U.S. unit has signed a sales agreement with MEMC subsidiary SunEdison to supply 35MW of crystalline-silicon solar modules for the remainder of 2010. SunEdison expects to use the panels for projects in North America and Europe. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Extending its reach and further strengthening its overseas operations, Suntech has completed a major executive reshuffle including the appointment of a new COO and three regional presidents.
Spire has completed the installation of its equipment line at the photovoltaic module manufacturing plant established by Wanxiang Solar, a division of Wanxiang America, located in Rockford, Illinois. The 40,000 square foot plant will employ over 60 local workers.
Taiwan PolySilicon, a turnkey customer of centrotherm SiTec, has successfully passed its initial production phase and started up its 5000tn manufacturing facility. The factory, which can be upgraded to 8000tn, is said to be the largest single poly production site in Taiwan. TPSI plans to increase its manufacturing capacity to as much as 12,000tn in the coming years.
Dennis Flood, a 30-year NASA veteran who developed photovoltaic power systems for space and planetary missions, has been named CTO at Natcore Technology. The company said that he will help bring its portfolio of PV intellectual property through proof of concept and into commercialization.
