With the start of actual construction of Hemlock Semiconductor’s new polysilicon plant, located in Clarksville, Tennessee, the largest polysilicon producer in the world has revealed both the initial production capacity of the plant as well as its future capacity capability. Initial cost of the plant was said to be US$1.2 billion and will employ approximately 500 workers when ramped. Hemlock has announced investments totalling more than US$4 billion for expanding polysilicon production over the last few years in a drive that is expected to keep the company in its leadership position.
For the first nine months of 2009, aleo solar has posted revenue of €220.8 million. Even though this is a drop from the first nine months of 2008 (€256.2 million), the company is still hopeful that it will reach its planned sales targets. aleo also posted a positive EBIT of €0.3 million, which shows the trend reversal that the company achieved in the second quarter.
LDK Solar announced that upon its motion the Superior People’s Court in Jiangxi Province has issued a civil order halting any payment that may be made by the relevant guarantor/counter-guarantor banks pursuant to the guarantee and/or counter-guarantee issued in connection with the prepayments Q-Cells made that amassed to US $244.5 million under a solar wafer supply agreement with LDK Solar.
SAG Solarstrom has announced their third quarter results and posting strong numbers. Consolidated group sales over the first nine months totaled €76.5 million (previous year: €64 million), with sales of €44.8 million in the third quarter contributing to this increased number. The overall earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) figured amounted to €2 million, rising from the €1.1 million from the previous year. This increase also shows that the EBIT increased over nine months to €2.4 million from €2.1 million last year.
Continued overcapacity in the upstream supply chain that includes polysilicon, solar wafers and solar cells is resulting in continued price declines and uncertainty over 2010 market demand. As a result Q-Cells is planning to hold c-Si cell production at approximately 800MW in 2009 and grow nameplate capacity to 1.1GW in 2010, on provisional market expectations for next year. However, its CIGS thin film subsidiary is expected to increase nameplate capacity to 135MW and actually ship close to 100MW in 2010, signalling the maturity of the product and potential market penetration of the technology. Solibro was said to have shipped its first products to customers in the quarter.
China based monocrystalline silicon solar ingots and wafers manufacturer, Solargiga Energy Holdings' 300kW pilot BIPV project has commenced power generation successfully.
Energy Conversion Devices is struggling to sell its flexible thin-film laminates via its established distribution channels, particularly in North America as the housing and construction markets remain depressed due to the fall-out from the financial crisis. To counter weakening demand, ECD is cutting production again as inventory builds and moving its business model downstream to generate demand and move closer to a project development function that would include engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solutions.
An 18-acre solar garden has been dedicated adjacent to Mars Chocolate's North America headquarters in Hackettstown, NJ. The 2.15MW (DC) power plant--which is comprised of more than 28,000 ground-mounted First Solar thin-film PV modules--is said to be the largest solar energy facility installed in New Jersey by a food manufacturing plant and the first project completed by Public Service Enterprise Group's PSEG Solar Source subsidiary.
Having experienced a significant decline in equipment sales this year, Manz Automation is expecting a new wave of capital equipment spending as PV manufacturers will need to boost cell conversion efficiencies to remain competitive. Although the company expects to be profitable in the fourth quarter due to a pick-up in sales and an order backlog of €78 million. Manz expects a loss for the year due to weak market conditions for the majority of the year. The company guided full year revenue of between €80 and €85 million.
MiaSolé has appointed Kevin Eassa as the new vice president for manufacturing and operations. Eassa brings over 26 years of manufacturing experience, specifically in the disc drive industry with Seagate Technology. While at Seagate he oversaw the rapid global expansion of the company’s manufacturing and operations in five countries and three continents.
