BP Solar says it has completed the final three photovoltaic systems specified under the terms of its solar power construction program agreement with Wal-Mart. The company recently finished building a 493.7-KW system at the Sam's Club in La Habra, a 605.9-KW array at the Wal-Mart Super Center in Palm Springs, and a 675.2-KW system at the Beaumont Super Center.
According to Greentech Media’s report, it seems that First Solar has managed to achieve grid parity with its 12.6MW system in the Nevada desert, installed for Sempra Generation. Mark Bachman, a senior research analyst with Pacific Crest and a specialist in cleantech energy, has aggregated the numbers in the Greentech Media report.
Nanjing-based China Sunergy Co., Ltd. has brought four high-efficiency SE solar cell manufacturing lines into commercial production at a ceremony held to celebrate the commencement of China Sunergy’s 3rd stage production. The door of the 3rd stage production lines was opened to visitors on the day, with attendees including China Sunergy executives Tingxiu Lu, Chairman, Dr. Allen Wang, CEO, and Dr. Jianhua Zhao, CTO.
Solar Fabrik has named semiconductor industy veteran Günter Weinberger to replace Christoph Paradeis as the company's CEO, effective Dec. 31. Weinberger comes to the solar module and systems manufacturer from Sandbridge Technologies, where he was president/CEO.
Suntech Power Holdings has secured more than 130MW in orders from Italy in 2009 and has now established a sales office in Milan to support its growing customer base. The booked orders indicate that the Italian market is finally picking up pace after only 12.5MW was installed in 2006 and 50.2MW installed in 2007, according to a recent EU-funded report.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi is aiming to be the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste, car-free city powered entirely by renewable energy sources. This ambitious goal is being driven by the Masdar Initiative, a strategic endeavour by Abu Dhabi to spread the dogma of sustainability and clean energy throughout the city’s dwellers, industries and utilities.
SolFocus has announced that it has signed an agreement that will see the concentrated phovotoltaic technology company work with engineering company Samaras Group on the construction of a 1.6MW installation. SolFocus’s Madrid-based European operation base is expected to expand to incorporate a subsidiary in Greece following the announcement.
At the 2008 IEDM in San Francisco, Dr. Mark Pinto, CTO for Applied Materials was awarded The J.J. Ebers Award for outstanding contribution to the semiconductor industry. Presented by the IEEE Electron Devices Society, the J.J. Ebers award was established in 1971 and is given in commemoration of Jewell James Ebers, whose work on electron devices helped shape current technologies. The award is considered one of the technical community’s most prestigious awards.
Amtech Systems, Inc. has named Fokko Pentinga as the Managing Director of the company’s European division. Amtech Europe comprises Tempress Systems in Vaassen, the Netherlands, and R2D Automation in Montpellier, France, both of which are subsidiaries of Amtech Systems, Inc. Mr. Pentinga joins Amtech from his former role as General Manager of Tempress Systems, where he served for over 14 years.
REC has updated the status of its polysilicon expansion at Plant III, saying it has formally accepted and taken control over the entire fluidized bed reactor (FBR) area and all related equipment at the new factory under construction in Moses Lake, WA. However, quality control problems with certain carbon steel pipe welds have delayed start-up of silane production until late January 2009.
