Suntech Power has signed a new seven-year polysilicon supply agreement with DC Chemical Co. Ltd., worth approximately $750 million from 2010 to 2016. In March, 2008, DC Chemical entered into its first polysilicon supply deal with Suntech, worth approximately $631 million with supply running from 2009 to 2016.
Due to the continued rapid growth of the photovoltaics industry, DuPont has said that it will more than double the production of its ‘Tedlar’ films, which are used in backsheet applications. DuPont anticipates that the PV market will grow by more than 50 percent per annum over the next few years and expects its sales in the sector could exceed $1 billion within the next five years.
SCHOTT Solar's new PV module and receiver production facility in Albuquerque, N.M., is to have bulk gases supplied by Air Products. The new 200,000 square foot facility was announced at the beginning of 2008, with production expected to start in the spring of 2009. Air Products is to supply liquid nitrogen, oxygen, argon and hydrogen to the facility under a long-term supply deal.
Ten-year veteran at BP Solar, Luis Torres has joined SunPower Corporation as Managing Director, Market Development Southern Europe, in a newly created role by SunPower. Torres will be responsible for working with public policy officials, industry colleagues and solar advocates to grow solar markets throughout southern Europe, a role similar to that when at BP Solar.
Enerpoint, MHH Solartechnik and SunConnex have agreed to purchase and distribute Advent Solar’s ‘Ventura’ solar modules in Europe to the tune of 250MW through 2013. The ‘Ventura’ technology from Advent was announced at the 2008 European Union Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, in Valencia, Spain.
Italian, high-grade (9N) polysilicon start-up, Silfab S.p.A., has secured a €30 million investment in the company from Sino-American Silicon Product Inc. (SAS), a Taiwanese manufacturer of polysilicon wafers for use in both photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. Silfab has also entered into a 500MT per annum polysilicon supply deal with SAS that will start in 2010 and last six-years.
Amtech Systems, Inc. (ASYS) announced that its solar subsidiary, Tempress Systems, Inc., has received a $7.5 million follow-on solar order for its diffusion processing systems from an existing customer based in Asia.
Tigo Energy has brought aboard veteran sales and marketing executive, Jeff Krisa. Krisa brings over 20 years of noteworthy experience in semiconductor technology, systems development, international marketing, and general management as well as a long history of involvement in alternative energy.
Suntech Power Holdings signed new supply agreements with GCL Silicon Technology, under which GCL will supply 9420 metric tons of polysilicon and 1.1 GW of silicon wafers to the Chinese photovoltaic solar cell and module manufacturer from 2008 to 2012.
Solarfun Power Holdings and Q-Cells International, a subsidiary of Q-Cells AG have entered into a supply deal that will see Solarfun supply a minimum of 100MW of PV modules per annum using PV cells supplied by Q-Cells from 2009 through 2011. The modules will be used for projects outside of Europe, Q-Cells said.
