HYET Solar, a relatively new company founded by Rombout Swanborn, recently bought all assets of Helianthos from Nuon. The company plans to further develop Helianthos’ technology with a team of 15 to 20 employees. HYET advised that its long term goal is to eventually bring the Helianthos flexible solar cell foil to market on a large scale.
bSolar has advised that its high-efficiency, bifacial PV crystalline silicon solar cells are ready to be showcased during Intersolar Europe in Munich June 14-16. The company’s bifacial cells use the cells’ back side to collect reflected and diffused sunlight in order to produce added electricity. They are manufactured using p-type wafers, standard equipment and production processes.
Meyer Burger Technology advised that it had raised US$121.3 (CHF110 million) in long-term capital through a Swiss Franc dominated straight bond issuance. The bond holds a coupon of 5% payable annually and maturity date of May 24, 2017. Zürcher Kantonalbank, Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank collectively offered the bond issue to institutional and private investors.
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has announced the achievement of 19.7% conversion efficiency for its copper-contact solar cells. The record, for a selective-emitter cell, was obtained using standard 156mm commercially available p-type silicon wafers and has been verified by Fraunhofer ISE.
A one-year, US$70 million R&D and supply project is underway between materials supplier, Heraeus and Yingli Green. Resources are being allocated from Heraeus’ three global technology centres to develop next-generation silver metallization pastes for Yingli’s N-type ‘PANDA’ silicon solar cells.
The Hindu Business Line has reported that power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has made almost a US$4 million (Rs 20 crore) investment into the expansion of its PV module manufacturing division, escalating its line from a 8MW capacity to a 26MW capacity. The increase is expected to be completed by September.
Big funding deals maybe a thing of the past but overall VC funding deals remain at record levels, according to the latest quarterly report of solar VC funding activity by Mercom Capital Group. Citing a slow start to 2012, VC funding in the first quarter of 2012 reached only US$329 million the lowest dollar amount recorded since Q4 2010. However, 34 deals were reported, suggesting VC’s are taking a lower risk approach to the sector, according to the report authors.
Suniva revealed that its ARTisun Select series of solar cells are averaging 19% efficiency in plant-wide production. The new cell efficiencies are available to cell customers and have been incorporated into the company’s Optimus modules. Suniva additionally noted that it has refined the aesthetic specifications for the cells, including a narrower color band, which is said to have created a more cosmetically uniform module.
The partnership between Silfab SpA and ISC Konstanz has announced the achievement of a 21% energy conversion efficiency for large area monocrystalline silicon solar cells. The news is a result of the companies’ research partnership on ‘Zebra’ interdigitated back-contact (IBC) cells as unveiled by the joint venture last summer. It is believed that efficiency could eventually top 24% for the solar cells.
Having posted record revenue of CHF 1.32 billion in 2011, major PV equipment supplier, Meyer Burger acknowledge that 2012 would be a lean year due to overcapacity and significant cuts to capital spending from PV manufacturers. The company guided revenue to be down significantly in 2012 and in the range of CHF 600–800 million and an EBITDA margin between 4–8%. Management noted that it didn’t expect a recovery in demand for equipment until 2013 and had started a restructuring plan to reduce operating costs with a 15% workforce reduction.
