Odersun, German manufacturer of thin-film solar cells and modules, has appointed Uwe Hering as chief sales and marketing officer with effect from 1 October 2009. The electrical engineer brings extensive experience from the semiconductor industry in sales, business development and product marketing.
Suntech Power has completed grid connection of the first 10MW utility-scale solar power project in China, located in Shizuishan, Ningxia Autonomous Region. The project involves a 10MW ground mount solar system and is the first phase of a 50MW solar plant that is targeted to be completed by 2011 with China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation (CECIC), a Suntech partner.
Hoku Scientific and Tianwei New Energy Holdings have signed a definitive agreement that will make the vertically integrated Chinese solar company the primary shareholder of Hoku. The deal stipulates that Tianwei take a majority investment in Hoku and that debt financing by Tianwei and China Construction Bank be used to complete Hoku's Pocatello, ID, polysilicon production facility, which has faced numerous delays in its construction schedule because of financing and other issues.
A small midcap South Korea-based leather manufacturer, Uni-Chem, would appear to be the first customer under Spire's ‘Come to America’ campaign with an agreement to set up a 60MW crystalline silicon cell and a 50MW turnkey module production line in the U.S. The two companies will also partner on the solar system integration arm of Spire, with Uni-Chem purchasing a 51% stake in Spire Solar Systems. Earlier this year Spire and Gloria Solar of Taiwan disbanded their joint system integration business, which became Spire Solar Systems.
Earlier this month, the two main bodies in the Italian renewable energy world, Gruppo Imprese Fotovoltaiche Italiane (GIFI), the Italian Photovoltaic Association, and Federazione Nazionale Imprese Elettrotecniche ed Elettroniche (ANIE), proposed a new set of Feed in Tariffs (FiT) for Italy, which are planned for 2011, according to a Barclays Solar report.
In attending the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, held in Hamburg last week, Manz Automation has said that it has secured orders and orders of intent worth €5 million. Manz expects the orders to be recognized in revenues and earnings in the coming fiscal year. This year, EU PVSEC was expected to have attracted over 40,000 attendees.
China State-owned start-up Xi'an Huanghe Photovoltaic Technology (Huanghe PV) has recruited former Isofoton S.A. Chief Operations Officer and photovoltaics expert, Emiliano Perezagua Gil as its Chief Councillor. Huanghe PV expects Gil to aid in its efforts to expand internationally, especially in Europe, while advising on technology, product quality control and marketing.
HaWi Energietechnik has entered into a new partnership with SolarEdge Technologies in which the solar power system planning and distribution company will offer SolarEdge's power harvesting solution to its customers.
Ascent Solar has signed a definitive Cooperation Agreement with Energy Technologies, of Mansfield, Ohio. The agreement focuses on the development of new PV products intended for the U.S. military.
Green Energy Technology (GET) has been running its ingot and wafer production facities in both Taiwan and China at full capacity throughout the third quarter of 2009, prompting the company to announce plans to expand capacity further by the end of the year.
