Vertically integrated solar cell manufacturer Solar Power Industries has placed a second long-term order for solar grade silicon with Becancour Silicon, which sees the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania producer receive an additional 3,000 metric tons per year from 2010 to 2015. The initial supply agreement anticipated shipments of solar grade silicon in excess of 4,000 metric tons over its initial period of 5 years.
Sheldon Reinhart, former CFO for Strategy First, Inc. has been appointed CFO and COO of ICP Solar Technologies, Inc. Bringing over 20 years of finance and technology experience to the role, Mr. Reinhart will oversee the company’s financial affairs and global operations in the role that was vacated by Leon Assayag in early May, who left the company to pursue other opportunities.
Yingli Green Energy has said that it has entered into a new sales contract with IBC Solar AG to deliver a minimum of 35MW of PV modules to IBC from May 2008 to December 2008 for use in projects based in Germany.
An Ernst & Young report based on data from Dow Jones VentureOne noted that investments by U.S.-based venture capitalists in the solar energy sector reached $132.4 million in 1Q08, a 136 percent increase over the same period in 2007.
Global solar technology giant SMA Technologie AG, the parent company of SMA America, Inc., has broken ground on an 82,000-square-foot solar inverter manufacturing plant in Kassel, Germany. The new facility is designed to triple SMA’s current production capacity to meet the global demand for its solar inverters.
GT Solar has received an initial order worth $8.8 million from new silicon solar wafer producer, Nexolon Co., Ltd. of South Korea. Formed in 2007, Nexolon is currently building its first manufacturing plant in the Iksan Industrial Complex in Iksan City of JeonBuk Province, South Korea. Nexolon has ordered multiple DSS450 furnaces from GT Solar that will be used for multicrystalline silicon ingot production.
As Country Manager of SunEdison Canada, Ron Mantay will lead the company’s development of utility-scale and rooftop solar power projects and also takes on responsibility for the company’s business operations. His new role will see him report to company Vice President of International, Len Jornlin.
Solar Power Conference & Expo 2008 looks set to build on its successful event in 2007 to provide a wealth of exhibitors, vendors, conference sessions and workshops at its event in San Diego’s Convention Center from October 13th to 16th. The event is expected to attract a record 12,000 professionals from more than 70 countries and 400 exhibitors from 14 countries.
A new joint venture crystalline solar cell manufacturer has been created with the announcement that Munich, Germany-based PV systems manufacturer Centrosolar Group AG and Munich-headquartered Qimonda AG plan to build and operate a 100MWp facility at Qimonda’s Vila do Conde, Portugal semiconductor packaging plant. Qimonda is a major semiconductor memory manufacturer.
Polysilicon shortages are not only limiting the potential growth of the PV industry but are continuing to impact manufacturing costs, according to Dr. Henning Wicht, Senior Director and Principal Analyst, MEMS and PV for iSuppli. Costs are rising rather than falling, forcing PV manufacturers to establish their own polysilicon production as well as seek cost saving elsewhere.
