eSolar and Ferrostaal have formed a partnership to deploy turnkey concentrating solar thermal power plants in Spain, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and other unnamed countries. Under the terms of the deal, eSolar will provide solar field and receiver technology, while Ferrostaal will provide the power block as well as manage the overall realization as general contractor, including financing activities.
Enphase Energy has hired Sanjeev Kumar as its new CFO. Kumar, who will be the PV microinverter company's first chief financial officer, brings more than 15 years of experience in global renewable and traditional energy markets.
Tom Larsen, previously responsible for the IPP-segment of COLEXON Energy AG and its subsidiary Renewagy A/S, has resigned from his Management Board position with immediate effect in order to concentrate on his responsibilities as CEO of Renewagy A/S.
Richard Erskine, partner and CEO of Energy Capital Management, is resigning his position as a director on the Ascent Solar board, a position he has held at the CIGS thin-film company since March 2008.
Hoku announced that effective March 31, Dustin Shindo will step down as Hoku chairman, president and CEO, although he will continue to serve the company in advisory position as a consultant. Scott Paul, Hoku's former chief operating officer, has been approved to succeed Shindo as president and CEO.
Mitsubishi Electric has appointed Kenichiro Yamanishi as new president and CEO. He is scheduled to assume his new position on April 1. He will be replacing Setsuhiro Shimomura, who will be appointed to the new position of chairman.
CIGS thin-film start-up DayStar has appointed Magnus Ryde its new chief executive officer and a director of the company's board. DayStar also announced that William Steckel resigned from his positions of CEO and CFO on February 15. Steckel will continue to serve on DayStar's board. Ryde was North American President of the leading semiconductor foundry, Taiwan-based TSMC. He also spent 18 years with KLA-Tencor in various executive roles. DayStar has had a string of executive changes over the past two years.
Solar power plants located on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land in Nevada are starting to gain approval with the news that NextLight Renewable Power will start construction of a 50MW PV power plant called Silver State, near Primm, Nevada, in early December 2010. NV Energy and NextLight announced a 25-year contract for the purchase and sale of energy from the plant that should see deliveries start in May 2011.
After a long search that started in May, 2009 GT Solar has now appointed a permanent Chief Financial Officer. The company has appointed Richard J. Gaynor to the role from Sonus Networks. Robert Woodbury, the former CFO had resigned for personal reasons. Vice President of Finance, Rich Johnson had held the CFO role during the search to replace Woodbury and will return to his former role within the company.
A triple-junction thin-film silicon cell structure that utilizes the majority of the solar spectrum is in development phase at Mitsubishi Electric. A 5mm x 5mm cell is claimed to have produced conversion efficiencies of 14.8% in the lab. High-quality film-deposition processing of each layer was required. Mitsubishi said that first layer absorbs short wavelengths and the third layer absorbs long wavelengths. Texture fabrication was also applied to transparent electrodes for optimal confinement of light.
