Receiving recognition for his contributions to the development of SunPower's high-efficiency, all-back contact solar cell, company CTO Richard Swanson (pictured) was honoured with an SEIA Industry Innovator Award at the PV America conference in Philadelphia. The SEIA Award aims to recognise entrepreneurs, scientists and advocates working towards improving the quality and efficiency of solar technology.
SunPower Corp. has announced its addition of Navneet Govil (pictured), former controller for Sun Microsystems’ Microelectronics Group, to its team as vice president and treasurer. This role will see Mr. Govil spearhead the company’s treasury and foreign exchange activities, credit risk management, capital structure planning, and banking relationships, as well as overseeing insurance and stock administration activities.
Further developing its plan to increase the company presence in the U.S., German module manufacturer aleo solar AG has revealed that it has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, entitled aleo solar North America, Inc. Headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, the company has already secured UL certification for its modules for sale and installation in the U.S. and Canada.
Innovalight has installed what is being called the first high-throughput industrial silicon-ink inkjet printing system at the company’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA. Dutch production tool company OTB Solar engineered and manufactured the system in cooperation with Innovalight.
Senate Bill 7, legislation introduced by Senator Patricia Wiggins, stipulates that utility providers allow customers who produce their own solar power to roll over unused energy credits for up to two years. The Bill was voted on in the California Senate, and approved unanimously at 29-0. The Bill will now be passed to the Assembly for consideration.
New Mexico Representative Martin Heinrich has introduced new bipartisan legislation in the form of the clean energy promotion act, H.R. 2662. The new act can provide up to $5 million yearly to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to promote renewable energy projects on public lands.
Oneworld Energy Inc., announced its expansion into the US with the appointment of Roger Slotkin as CEO, U.S. operations and a new U.S. headquarters in Melville, NY. Slotkin's role will be to grow U.S. business both organically and through mergers and acquisitions for Oneworld Energy’s management and servicing of wind and solar power installations.
Responding to growing demand for the company’s PV modules and products, Trina Solar has established a warehouse operation in The Port of Oakland, California, to be opened in June 2009. The warehouse will aid in the speedy distribution of products in the state, which contributed 530MW of the U.S.’s 800MW (grid-tied) in 2008.
In a multi-year collaboration agreement, SunPower Corp. has committed to working with Jabil Circuit, Inc. on the manufacture of solar panels. Jabil will begin manufacturing solar panels in Mexico for North America’s solar market in the second half of 2009.
Asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems has opened a new crystalline-silicon solar module factory in Erfurt, central Germany. The plant will have an initial annual production rate of 32 MW, with a 45 MW capacity achieved by year's end, according to the company.
