Although the current weakness in demand has seen E-Ton unprofitable in the first-half of 2009, the solar cell manufacturer is said to be mulling plans for capacity expansions as demand from customers, notably in China and other parts of Asia has been improving. E-Ton shipped 30MW in Q109 and 50MW of solar cells in 2Q09, however the company is expecting shipments to increase to approximately 60MW in 3Q09.
South Australia has entered the renewable energy news twice this week, first announcing the opening of its largest PV systems in Adelaide Showground and later, the less positive warning published in Adelaide Now, from welfare groups that electricity prices for those in the area, could potentially double within five years.
Trina Solar has obtained a five-year syndicated US$304 million loan facility to support its East Campus 500MW capacity expansion project, which is to be completed over the next three years.
In a move which compliments the news of Japan's recent government support for renewables, Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. and its 100% subsidiary Showa Shell Solar K.K. have decided to construct their third CIS PV plant in Miyazaki Prefecture, which is planned to start operations in 2011.
By the end of September, TerniEnergia should have completed all nine of its new PV solar installations in Puglia, Marche and Umbria with a total combined capacity of 10MW. Five of the new installations are assigned to the joint ventures for the production and sales of electrical energy from solar sources, with total combined capacity of 6MWp, while the other four are for third parties and will achieve 4MWp.
SMA Solar Technology has acquired the microinverter technology platform from Dutch company OKE-Services, a move that SMA says makes it the only manufacturer in the world with a product portfolio featuring all existing inverter technologies for operating photovoltaic systems of any size and with optimal technical system configuration.
Trina Solar has opened its own center of excellence to ensure a high level of quality assurance and precision testing of its PV modules. Located at the company's headquarters in Changzhou, the 7200-square-meter facility supports a comprehensive range of indoor and outdoor tests, including product certification processes, material reliability tests for module products, highly accelerated stress tests, and material evaluation and research.
Ascent Solar has said that SkySentry, a high altitude vehicle developer headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, received its first flexible CIGS PV array for an upcoming aerostat test in Sandusky, Ohio, scheduled for mid-September. The aerostat is part of Army Space and Missile Defense Command's High Altitude, Long-Endurance Testbed.
A new venture-funded player has come out of stealth mode and entered the increasingly crowded photovoltaic system power optimization space. San Jose-based eIQ Energy says its just-launched Parallux product and Parallel Solar technology will lower the installed cost and improve the energy output of solar systems, while eliminating the design and installation constraints found in conventional string architectures.
Insurance broker and risk adviser Marsh and reinsurer Munich RE are collaborating in the launch of a new product guarantee insurance solution tailored for the solar panel manufacturing sector in Asia--said to be the first of its kind in the region. Taiwanese photovoltaic manufacturer NexPower (a client of Marsh Taiwan) is the first company to purchase the package.
