GE Solar, a branch of the General Electric Company, has announced the layoff of the second and third production shifts as well as some engineering staff at the its Newark, Delaware manufacturing site. About 86 employees were released, down from 200 total workers.
Powerlase Limited, manufacturers of nanosecond Q-switched, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers, have announced that important investments have been secured from an investor group including MTI Partners, Deutsche Venture Capital, DJF Esprit LLP, Alice Ventures and FNI Venture Capital. The extent of the investment was not disclosed.
Making a bold decision to focus on one product group, Entech Solar has announced that it is shutting down manufacturing operations for its current generation of concentrating solar systems. The company will now focus its efforts on the rapid development and commercialization of its next generation products, along with implementing aggressive cost cuts such as headcount reduction.
Metals and materials provider Elkem has named Helge Aasen as the replacement for Bjørn Wiggen as Managing Director following the latter’s appointment to a new role as President and CEO of SAPA, as well as his appointment to the role of Chairman of Elkem’s Board of Directors. Mr. Wiggen replaces Ole Enger, who was recently appointed as President and CEO of the Renewable Energy Corporation (REC).
A long-term gas supply deal has been signed between Masdar PV and Linde Group, which also includes gas storage, distribution systems and on-site gas management services. Supplied gases include nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), silane (SiH4) and chamber cleaning gases, as well as argon (Ar) and helium (He). Masdar PV is currently investing US$200 million in a thin-film plant in Erfurt, Germany.
Suntech Power Holdings said it is "routinely" using the Pluto technology to produce solar PV cells with conversion efficiencies of approximately 19% on monocrystalline silicon cells and 17% on multicrystalline cells. The company also confirmed that third-party test results from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Germany show conversion efficiencies of 18.8% for monocrystalline cell and 17.2% for the multicrystalline cells manufactured on Suntech's 34MW Pluto production line.
Webel-SL Energy Systems Ltd. has, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, revealed it is to invest approximately 1.8 billion rupees ($35.7 million) to build a second cell and module manufacturing facility in Kolkata, eastern India. The facility will bring Webel’s annual manufacturing capacity from 12MW to 42MW.
It seems there may be collaboration on the cards for two of the major technology players, as Reuters has reported. Japan's Toshiba Corp. and Sharp Corp. are allegedly looking to start up a partnership agreement for their respective solar businesses in response to growing market demand for PV products and services.
First Solar, Inc. have appointed Dennis Fitzgibbons to Vice President, Federal Affairs, where he will report directly to the company’s CEO Mike Ahearn and be in charge of First Solar’s federal government affairs activities in the US.
According to IMS Research, a contraction in PV module shipments is anticipated for 2009 due to the significant void left by Spain, due to its new 500MW cap on installations. Without the cap and favourable FIT (feed-in-tariffs) in 2008, Spain became the largest market for PV for the first time, surpassing Germany for the highest MW of installations. IMS Research expects a shortfall of some 1.5-2GW in 2009, which will not be absorbed by growth in other regions such as Italy and France.
