In an expected move to strengthen its financial position, LDK Solar has announced a new line of credit worth approximately US$146 million from the Agricultural Development Bank of China and a US$29 million loan from China Development Bank. LDK Solar said it had unused credit facilities totalling US$785 million as of April 14, 2009.
China based thin film start-up, CHINT Solar has selected Air Products to supply both bulk and specialty gases at its new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) facility in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, China. The contract includes the supply of hydrogen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty gases such as silane, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and dopant mixtures. CHINT Solar is planning to reach 210MW in thin film production in 2010 and 380MW production capacity in 2010 that includes crystalline silicon solar cells.
Fraunhofer ISE has announced that Gerhard Stryi-Hipp will take over as Head of Energy Policy and Group Leader of Thermal Collectors and Applications, beginning in July, addressing the company’s need for help in these areas.
Applied Solar, Inc. announced the start-up of the Solar Communities program in San Diego. This program plans to increase the number of homes using clean solar energy by getting rid of cost by eliminating the most expensive Tier 3 and Tier 4 energy purchases, which usually is at least 60% of the typical San Diego Gas & Electric customer’s yearly bill.
Solar Thin Films, Inc. and its subsidiary, KRAFT Elektronikai Zrt., announced they have acquired BudaSolar Technologies Co. Ltd. of Budapest, Hungary in the hope of increasing the customer base.
According to its 2008 Annual Report, SOLON continues to be among the fastest growing solar companies in Germany, but due to an unstable market, is expecting moderate growth in 2009.
Manz Automation AG has announced it will be cutting employee hours up to 20% due to less demand at plants in Reutlingen and Tuebingen, Germany. The company has already cut workers this year in plants in Taiwan, China and Slovakia.
Recent rumours of a business tie-up between Q-Cells and LDK Solar have come to fruition with the official formation of a Joint Venture (JV) to promote and supply PV systems for large-scale solar power plants in both Europe and China. The new business partners said that a 40MW project located in Europe had already been secured, which will see the use of solar wafers from LDK Solar and solar cells from Q-Cells, though no details were given in respect to modules.
Sputnik Engineering AG’s SolarMax string inverters have been approved for use in Portuguese solar power plants. These four devices have nominal outputs ranging from 1.8-4.6kW and have been received the official certificate from the Portuguese Government Office last February.
Oregon's loss is New York's gain, as crystalline-silicon solar cell manufacturing start-up SpectraWatt said that it will build its first factory in IBM territory in Hopewell Junction, NY. The venture-backed Intel spinoff originally chose Hillsboro, OR, as its base of operations, but suspended construction there earlier this year while it searched for another site.
