Dr. Thomas Surek is known as a pioneer of terrestrial PV research who started his 37-year career with his growth of shaped silicon crystals at Harvard University in 1973. Recently, Surek has been appointed to Magnolia Solar’s technical advisory board (TAB) where he will be able to help the company further its promotion of PV systems as an alternative energy source. His experience in the field includes research at Mobil Tyco Solar Energy and a contributor to the large-scale commercialization of the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) process through his shaped crystal growth of silicon.
Shams Power has closed financing on its 100MW Shams 1 concentrated solar power (CSP) project in Madinat Zayed, United Arab Emirates. When completed, Shams 1 will be one of the largest CSP systems in the world, with investment coming from 10 major financial institutions and totalling US$600 million.
Orbotech LT Solar has received the first order for its newly-developed anti-reflective wafer coating product. The beta site order is to be delivered in the second quarter of 2011 and follows on from the successful initial testing of the product.
BlueChip Energy has bought a large plot of land in Lake County, Florida for the development of a 40MW solar farm. When completed, the ground-mounted system will be the largest in the state and generate around 64-million kWh of electricity per annum.
Commemorating the opening of what has been deemed the world’s first hybrid solar power plant, Florida Power & Light was joined by state senators, public officials, business leaders and Florida’s Governor Rick Scott on the site of their 500-acre Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Martin County, Florida.
Dow Corning has named Samaro, a French specialty chemical product supplier, as the distributor for its silicon-based solar product solutions in France. The French company will be a technical resource and production base for Dow Corning’s solar division while delivering Dow Corning’s solar silicon products to local customers. Samaro has acted as Dow Corning Electronics’ French distributor and will additionally undertake the delivery of Dow Corning’s Molykote brand lubricant applications in North Africa.
Bridgestone is to add a new ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) production line to its factory in ?arów, Poland. An investment of US$58 million will be used to fund the installation, with manufacturing scheduled to begin during the first half of 2013.
China-based polysilicon producer, Daqo New Energy, has reported its first financial year results as a public company, listed on the NYSE. Polysilicon shipments for 2010 were 3,650MT, module shipments were 3.5MW, after starting volume production in the fourth quarter. Revenues in the fourth quarter of 2010 were $81.9 million, an increase of 29.6% from the third quarter of 2010. The increase was mainly due to higher average selling prices for the polysilicon.
Last month’s SNEC exhibition in Shanghai saw Manz Automation bring in new orders and letters of intent to the value of €25 million. The orders were for the company’s laser structuring and wet-chemical processing systems for thin-film modules, and its crystalline cell manufacturing machinery.
Expanding Greece’s PV project portfolio, plans have been announced for the construction of 12.5MW of projects in Greece. Solaria will supply the modules for the various projects, the amount of which has not been specified, while Greek installer company Positive Energy will look after all procurement, engineering and maintenance of the plants.
