In a move to bring its production capacity up to 1GW by the end of 2010, Yingli Green Energy will add 300MW of monocrystalline-silicon-related solar manufacturing capabilities at its Baoding headquarters campus in China. The expansion news came as the company announced record PV module shipments for its recently completed fourth quarter and fiscal-year 2009. The vertically integrated company will build ingot, wafer, cell and module lines, and the solar cells will be based on the high-efficiency mono-c-Si technology developed through the Project Panda collaboration (which also includes the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands [ECN] and equipment supplier Amtech Systems). To help finance the new construction and buildout, the company has received a five-year project loan of RMB 1.5 billion ($219 million) and a working capital credit facility of RMB 250 million ($36 million), both granted by the Bank of Communications, Hebei Branch (BOCOM).
The Czech Republic's Prime Minister, Jan Fischer, has called for a cut in the amount of incentives available for renewable energy in the country. These possible cuts follow similar news from France, Germany and Italy this year. The Minister says that a cut to feed-in tariff prices is a 'priority' in the country, as without it the current boom of solar projects could lead to a 'significant' increase in electricity prices for consumers.
BioSolar has announced plans for an extended line of BioBacksheets used to protect PV modules compatible with conventional c-Si PV modules. BioSolar bio-based backsheet materials are made from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of solar modules and eliminate the need for dangerous toxins found in petroleum based backsheets.
Eyelit has landed another customer for its solar PV manufacturing software--flexible CIGS thin-film module maker Ascent Solar. The PV company is using the suite to support the production ramp of its 30MW Fab 2 in Thornton, CO, which is slated to go live the end of March.
Although still in a business transition period with its shift to greater (60%) PV inverter manufacturing in China, Satcon Technology has reported a strong order book entering 2010, which is first-half year loaded as well as a project pipeline expectation that indicates sales in the second-half of the year will remain strong. The company also reported full-year financial results for 2009 that were approximately 3% down from 2008. Revenue reached US$52.5 million in 2009, compared to US$54.3 million in 2008. Its renewable market revenue was approximately US$47.7 million, equivalent to 162MW, according to the company.
Magnolia Solar has received a US$1 million award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). This award is to develop advanced thin-film solar cells in partnership with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany.
The U.S. Navy's Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) has awarded a $200 million contract to build up as much as 40MW of solar photovoltaic power plants at Navy and Marine Corps installations throughout the southwestern United States. Five solar developers/integrators--SunEdison, AECOM Energy/Solar Power Partners, SunPower, SunDurance Energy, and Chevron Energy Solutions--will compete for individual projects ranging in size from 1MW to 15MW.
Updated: The largest crystalline silicon PV module manufacturer, Suntech Power Holdings has reported revenue figures for 2009, which were impacted by the decline of average selling price (ASP) for its PV modules. Total net revenues for the year were US$1,693.3 million, compared with US$1,923.5 million in 2008, even though shipments were up 43% compared with 2008. However, margins improved due to lower polysilicon and wafer costs. Gross profit was US$338.8 million and gross margin was 20.0% compared to consolidated gross profit of US$342.9 million and gross margin of 17.8% for the full year 2008. Suntech said it was sold-out through the first half of 2010 and would be boosting capital spending and increasing capacity, specifically for its ‘Pluto’ cell technology based modules.
Privately held manufacturing software provider, Eyelit said that it had won 5 new solar customers in 2009, which helped to see the company post record revenue for the fourth quarter of 2009. Eyelit doe not report financial figure results. The software specialist said that a roll-to-roll thin film, CIGS solar manufacturer became a customer in the fourth quarter, making it 5 new customers from the PV industry in 2009. The others in the sector included a UMG-silicon producer, a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) manufacturer, a mono- and multi-crystalline silicon wafer producer and a silicon cell manufacturer.
