The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has validated conversion efficiencies of 14.1% for flexible copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide (CIGS) solar-cell materials produced on Ascent Solar’s 1.5MW commercial pilot line in Littleton, CO. The company’s internal testing shows active-area peak efficiencies for its full-size monolithically integrated CIGS-on-polyimide modules reaching 11.7%, with median efficiencies on the line averaging between 10.5 and 11%-plus, according to president/CEO Farhad Moghadam.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab has released its “Tracking the Sun II: The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the US from 1998-2008” report. Among their findings is that the average cost of going solar in the US has declined by more than 30% between 1998 and 2008. They are crediting the government initiatives at the state and local level for the decrease in price and have also found that after a three year plateau, costs have decreased by 3.6% between 2007and 2008.
In another example of the rust-tech industrial base converting to cleantech manufacturing, Skyline Solar has partnered with the Cosma International unit of global automotive supplier Magna International to start pilot commercial production of the reflective racking, mounting, and other structural components of Skyline's high gain solar (HGS) system. The initial manufacturing is taking place at a Cosma metal-stamping facility previously used for auto parts production in Troy, MI, on the same campus as the Magna unit's engineering center, where the two companies’ teams have worked together on product design and materials optimization.
Having reached the milestone of 10 thin-film customer production plants this year, Oerlikon Solar is now projecting sales to be flat in 2010, compared with expected full-year results for the end of 2009. With an initial surge in sales in 2007, peaking at CHF 628 million in 2008, Oerlikon Solar’s 9-month sales have reached CHF 432 million. However, Oerlikon Solar posted strong Q209 results, due to two major contracts being signed in the June of the same year. The company noted that Q309 order intake did not include any major contracts.
SunLink has announced its supply agreement with Nanosolar to develop and supply a custom, flat-roof system that is the favored mounting solution for Nanosolar. The Nanosolar SunLink roof system was conceived as part of the largest single Solar America Initiative awarded by the US Department of Energy.
Camstar Systems landed a deal to supply its SolarSuite for Q-Cells’ two new production lines in Bitterfeld-Thalheim, Germany, and its new factory in Malaysia, where production, at peak, is expected to be over 300MW by the end of 2010. Q-Cells chose the SolarSuite for its intended solution to lower cost per watt through improved process quality and cell efficiency.
The board of directors for DayStar Technologies has accepted the notice to terminate a letter of intent in regards to the proposed transaction with EPOD Solar, citing its decision as in the best interest for all of DayStar’s shareholders. The company will still search for other financing options and will also continue with the $125 million loan guarantee application with the U.S. Department of Energy, filed September 14.
Sunpower announced its plans to design and build a 1MW solar electric power plant, which is owned by Bluenergia. The solar plant will be located in Mesagne, Comune di Brindisi, Italy and has an anticipated completion date of sometime in early 2010.
Millipore’s chairman and CEO, Martin Madaus, was joined by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and other public figures for a ribbon cutting ceremony that celebrated the company’s completion of its $2 million solar panel installation at its Bedford, Massachusetts, campus. The solar project will provide renewable energy for Millipore’s Bedford and Billerica, Massachusetts sites.
Phoenix Solar is expecting the French solar market to become important to its revenue stream in coming years. Having recently established a France-based operation, Phoenix Solar has secured a contract with E.ON Climate & Renewables GmbH to plan and build a solar power plant with a capacity of 1.5MW in Le Lauzet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region on a southern alpine slope at an altitude of 1,000 m.
