Continuing to demonstrate benchmark revenue growth in a difficult market for photovoltaic manufacturers, First Solar Inc has posted second-quarter revenue of US$525.9 million, up from US$418.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. In the same quarter of 2008, First Solar generated revenue of US$267 million. First Solar has now generated revenue of US$944.1 million in the first six months of fiscal 2009.
FedEx Ground, the small-package shipping unit of FedEx, plans to have installed what it calls the largest rooftop solar-electric system in the United States at its distribution hub in Woodbridge, NJ. The project is the third between a FedEx operating company and BP Solar and the fifth solar power project for FedEx. The 2.42MW photovoltaic power system will employ about 12,400 BP panels across approximately 3.3 acres of rooftop space.
Spire has delivered a turnkey photovoltaic module assembly line to Sova Power, located in Durgapur, West Bengal, India. The semiautomated crystalline-silicon module manufacturing line can produce up to 12MW of PV panels annually and can be expanded as needed in the future.
PVNext Corp., a joint venture between Taiwan-based Ritek and Netherlands-based Scheuten Solar Holding B.V. has announced an investment of NT$500 million from Taiwan's National Development Fund.
Up to $11.8 million will be invested by the U.S. Department of Energy in five projects designed to advance the next stage of development of solar energy grid integration systems (SEGIS), as part of a partnership program begun by DOE in 2008. The selected projects focus on the most promising technology advances and include development of intelligent system controls.
XeroCoat has chosen Air Liquide Electronics U.S. to supply the precision chemical delivery systems for XeroCoat’s turnkey antireflective coating platform for glassmakers and end-users in the solar manufacturing industry.
Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd., vertically integrated manufacturer of silicon ingots, PV cells and modules in China, has announced that Nobility Solar Projects a.s., distributor of solar products in Eastern Europe, has agreed to purchase 14.2MW of high efficiency PV modules from Solarfun during the second half of 2009.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has signed a contract with El Dorado Energy, a subsidiary of Sempra Generation, to purchase 48MW of solar photovoltaic power produced at the Copper Mountain Solar facility in Nevada. The deal, which is subject to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission, is the utility’s second contract for renewable energy from Sempra Generation, following the late 2008 agreement to supply 10MW of PV power from the El Dorado Energy solar plant.
Johns Manville, global manufacturer of energy-efficient building products and Energy Conversion Devices, manufacturer of thin-film amorphous silicon-based PV laminates, have announced a multiyear agreement for ECD to supply Uni-Solar laminates to JM, which will market its capability through a new business entity, the JM E3 Company, or E3 Co.
Veeco Instruments announced its financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30. The company's orders rose 86% sequentially, driven mainly by results from its LED and solar equipment unit.
