Hedging its bets in its move into the solar industry, leading semiconductor foundry TSMC will start producing CIGSS thin-film modules after taking a stake in Stion and a technology license. VentureTech Alliance, a TSMC affiliate, will invest US$50 million to take a 21% stake in Stion.
Titan Tracker has signed a license contract with DongFang Electric and DongFang Turbine, including all the solar tracking technologies such as flat PV, CPV and CSP central receiver and Stirling dish.
At Intersolar Europe 2010, a powerhouse of the semiconductor industry exhibited for the first time but based on their manufacturing strategy will be attending this and many other major events for years to come. As is typical of the Korean-based memory manufacturer, little has actually been revealed about their solar manufacturing strategy, especially capacity and capital spending plans. However, PV-Tech was granted an exclusive video interview with the head of its new Solar Energy division, Changsik Choi, Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics.
Centrosolar Group will be the project partner for the solar fund of the investment bank, "DCM Solarfonds 4." The bank will give investors the opportunity to invest in a portfolio of ten solar roof plants, erected on the flat roofs of German companies ALDI Süd and ALDI Nord. The plants are estimated to have an aggregate output of 7.8MW.
IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference’s organizing committee announced the speakers for the 35th PV gathering on June 20 through 25. Located at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, the convention will hold panel discussions and presentations during the five day symposium.
Schott Solar has introduced a new extended performance guarantee, switching over its warranty on solar power modules from being a graduated to a linear digressive model, guaranteeing customers higher performance than before for each year covered by the guarantee period.
Sinosol, with its partner Metalco & Mazzanti Group, is now expanding its activities in Italy with the foundation of a new Italian project company. The company will be located in Castelfranco with access to a pipeline of Italian rooftop and greenfield projects totalling more than 200MWp. The projects will be constructed by 2012.
Solyndra has achieved microgeneration product certification from BRE Global Limited in the UK after extensive testing and auditing of its products. This achievement brings Solyndra into a small and elite group of solar companies to have achieved BRE Global certification.
Marking the company’s first move into the solar energy division, Nanoco Group, developer and manufacture of quantum dots and other nanomaterials, has signed a joint development agreement with Tokyo Electron. Nanoco will develop a solar-active nanomaterial film for use in Tokyo Electron’s solar cell manufacturing equipment.
The Masdar initiative in Abu Dhabi has enlisted the help, expertise and investment of the bidding consortium of energy company Total and Abengoa Solar to collaborate on the construction of the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant. The 100MW plant will be located in Madinat Zayed, southwest of Abu Dhabi, and will be known as Shams 1.
