Former SunPower Systems and PowerLight president Daniel Shugar has joined Solaria as its new CEO. The veteran solar industry executive replaces former CEO Suvi Sharma, who will focus on business development and strategy in his new role as president of the Fremont, CA-based solar photovoltaic module company.
Solar wafer producer PV Crystalox said that it had shipped slightly more solar wafers than had previously guided for 2009, on the back of strong demand at the end of the year. The wafer producer shipped 239MW, up from guidance of 230-235MW provided in November. The company had experienced deferred shipments in the first half of 2009 due to poor demand.
GCL-Poly Energy Holdings has entered into acquisition agreements with the indirect shareholders of Konca Solar Cell in which the company will indirectly acquire a controlling stake of 70.19% in Konca Solar at an aggregate consideration of RMB854.1 million (€86.1917 million).
In the first major Chinese move into solar thermal energy, Penglai Electric has signed a master licensing deal with eSolar to build several concentrating solar power plants over the next decade. Penglai, a privately held electrical power equipment manufacturer, plans to develop 2GW of power stations in the Mongolian desert of northern China by 2021 using eSolar’s power tower technology.
ET Solar has completed and connected to the grid its 1.48MW ground mounted PV power plant located in the Paehl region, approximately 50km south of Munich. The plant is expected to generate approximately 32 million kWhs of electricity over a 20-year subsidized period.
According to new figures from the Cleantech Group and Deloitte, VC investments in companies in the solar sector, reached US$1.2 billion or 21% of the share in 2009, making it the largest ‘Cleantech’ sector for investment. Clean technology venture investments in North America, Europe, China and India totalled US$5.6 billion in 557 deals. However, as these figures are preliminary, the firms expect the final figures could be up by as much as 10%.
Ontario's Hybridyne Power Systems Canada is teaming with Day4 Energy on several new projects using Day4 Energy’s PV modules with its ‘Electrode’ technology, which replaces conventional cell soldering technology to boost conversion efficiencies. The supply contract is for a total of 5.1MW or 23,000 modules for Atlantic Wind and Solar. HPSC will use its own in-house developed PV inverter for the projects, claimed to give up to 30% more kilowatt hours of electricity conversion.
Morocco will be inviting bids for the construction of its 500MW solar power station due to be complete at the end of February 2010. The project is the first part of Morocco's US$9 billion solar plan and will be the first solar power station in the country.
The world's largest office products company, Staples, now has a completed 1.01MW solar installation at its Hanover branch, installed by SunEdison. This project is now the largest single rooftop solar installation in Maryland.
Matheson Tri-Gas has secured exclusive rights to the global sales and marketing of high purity germane (GeH4) from Gelest to be offered to the electronics and photovoltaic industries. Billed as a joint venture, the partners also plan to expand manufacturing of germane to meet future demand.
