Monday night’s Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin saw Sharp Europe unveil its latest philanthropic venture – the ‘Sun and Stars’ project. The project will help supply electricity to some of the world’s most impoverished countries by financing and installing PV systems.
Showa Shell Sekiyu subsidiary Solar Frontier has begun the commercial ramp of its new advanced, fully-automated CIS (copper, indium and selenium) thin-film solar module production plant, located in Miyazaki, Japan. Initial production capacity is claimed to be 600MW and is planned to reach a nameplate capacity of 1GW in 2012.
Germany’s PV manufacturing solutions provider Schiller Automation has created a U.S.-based subsidiary, Schiller LLC, to help it service its expanding portfolio of international clients.
Soltec Renewable Energies is calling the 6.7MW PV plant it plans to build with Shikun & Binui Solaria one of the largest in Israel. Construction on the PV project will begin this year in southern Israel at the old Timna Copper Mines. The solar project is part of the joint venture the two companies formed, which aims to construct 12MW of large-scale solar installations in Israel throughout 2011 and 2012.
Enphase Energy has welcomed Dennis Hollenbeck as its new vice president of engineering; a role that will allow him to combine his 25 years of high-volume, low-cost system design and ASIC development experience and executive management skills.
Dutch research organisation TNO spin-off company SoLayTec has received an investment from Rena and Brabant Development Agency (BOM) to bring its atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology for volume manufacturing of c-Si solar cells to commercialization. Financial details were not disclosed.
Solar development and EPC company Premier Power has promoted from within made two changes to its executive team, naming company cofounder Miguel de Anquin to president and Stephen Clevett to COO, the position formerly held by de Anquin.
German systems integrator Volthaus has signed a strategic supply contract with the module manufacturer EGing Photovoltaic Technology. The agreement will see EGing supply 20MW of its monocrystalline modules to be used on a range of Volthaus projects in the first half of 2011.
With the acquisition of Solarfun and its recent name change to Hanwha SolarOne, the PV manufacturer is to change its NASDAQ ticker symbol to ‘HSOL.’ This will take effect when the market opens on February 15, 2011.
The backlash to the U.K. Government’s decision to launch a comprehensive review of its feed-in tariff on Monday has begun. Dissenting voices are becoming increasingly audible, with ministers publically bemoaning the coalition’s decision and airing fears about its long-term impact on the solar industry.
