According to Japanese news reports, negotiations are under way between Hitachi and Showa Shell Sekiyu to enter the photovoltaics market. The partnership would see Hitachi sell an LCD plant to Showa, which would then be converted to PV module production. It was not clear whether the solar plant would produce conventional crystalline or thin-film modules. Apparently an agreement is expected to be announced soon, according to the reports.
In a surprise move, Q-Cells' a-Si thin-film subsidiary Sontor will merge with thin-film competitor Sunfilm, a user of Applied Materials ‘SunFab’ turnkey thin-film production technology. Sontor has been one of Q-Cells' most successful thin-film ventures, starting mass production late in 2008 with plans to ramp its 25MW plant in 2009. The decision to absorb Sontor into Sunfilm was said to be due to the ‘increasingly competitive global photovoltaic market,’ enabling Sunfilm to have the scale to compete in an overcrowded market. The Sunfilm name will remain.
Not immune from the current slowdown in semiconductor and related industries equipment spending caused by the current economic downturn, Veeco Instruments reported sales for the first quarter of 2009 at US$62.8 million, compared to US$102.3 million in the first quarter of 2008. The company showed a loss of US$20.9 million, while operating cost reduction initiatives in place since the third quarter have resulted in a 20% decrease in expenses. LED and solar orders were US$28 million, down 26% from the first quarter of last year and 35% sequentially, according to the company.
The Danish National Labororatory for Sustainable Energy, Risø DTU, has connected a polymer solar-cell array to the grid on campus to demonstrate the current developments taking place with PV cells based on polymer materials. More than simply a test bed, researchers in collaboration with “roll-to-roll” flex-print and printed electronics specialist Mekoprint and BIPV module specialist Gaia Solar have fabricated the polymer cells for energy production, demonstrating the commercial readiness of the technology from a manufacturing perspective.
BP Solar has reported PV module sales in the first quarter of 2009 of 15MW, down from 34MW in the same quarter of 2008. The company noted that it was experiencing continued weak demand in the solar market.
Red Sun Energy has opened what is being called the first solar module factory in Vietnam. The facility, which will have a capacity of 5 MW during its initial phase of operations, is located in the Duc Hoa Industrial Park in southern Long An province.
Acting fast on last week's news that MEMC would not cancel the 10-year contract to supply solar wafers, Conergy is starting legal action in New York City. Although few details have been revealed over the specific reasons, Conergy believes court action is justified as there were a number of invalid clauses in the contract but in particular ‘anti-competitive contractual provisions’ that rendered the entire contract invalid.
Caught with dramatically lower demand for semiconductor silicon wafers and a below seasonal demand for solar wafers, MEMC is to review its capital spending and polysilicon capacity expansion plans, executives said in response to questions from financial analysts in a quarterly conference call. MEMC had previously announced plans to boost polysilicon production from the current 8,000MT per annum, reached at the end of 2008 to 15,000MT in 2010.
Hopes of a revision to Conergy’s 10-year wafer supply agreement with MEMC have rescinded as soon as they were raised, with MEMC noting in a press statement covering first quarter financial results that the ‘contract remains in full force and effect.’ In a conference call to discuss financial results, MEMC executives said that Conergy had already been advised that the existing contract would remain in place.
Coherent, Inc. has shipped its 100th AVIA laser into the solar industry and is claimed to be one of the most widely adopted laser for a wide variety of solar cell fabrication applications. According to Coherent, the AVIA laser has more than 90% market share of the silicon cell edge isolation step.
