Indeotec has received the first order and down payment for its Octopus II plasma processing tool. Octopus II was first unveiled at PVSEC in Hamburg and is the successor to Indeotec’s popular Octopus I. The new tool measures 300mm x 400mm and is characterized by several PECVD, PVD, heating and customised chambers around a central unit.
After eleven years of research and development, Sharp Corporation has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 36.9% using a triple-junction compound solar cell in which the solar cell has a stacked three-layer structure. Measurement of this value, which sets a new record for the world’s highest non-concentrating conversion efficiency, was confirmed at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
German manufacturer Singulus Technologies has received an order for its Singular PECVD tool, a coating tool for the application of ARCs on crystalline silicon solar cells, from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). The SINGULAR is part of a multi-million dollar project headed by SERIS focusing on silicon wafer heterojunction solar cells and their mass production.
Motech Industries released its Q3 2011 financial results, which saw the company’s revenue grow 17% over Q2 2011 results to US$251.83 million. Additionally, the company’s net losses went down to US$19 million, from the second quarter’s US$21.47 million.
SiOnyx has advised that its patented ultrafast laser texturing technology, Black Silicon, has reached 0.3%, absolute, efficiency growth over typical industry baseline solar cells. The company’s 156mm multicrystalline silicon cells, which are manufactured under a partnership with ISC Konstanz, is said to have attained average absolute efficiencies over 17%.
JinkoSolar Holding has provided a calm and unruffled response to the SolarWorld/CASM petition news, stating that the company intends to carry on its manufacturing practices as normal while the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and the US Department of Commerce (DOC) decide how to respond to the allegations of unfair trading practices on the part of Chinese cell and module manufacturers.
Oregon-based SolarWorld announced that along with seven other US manufacturers, it had petitioned the US federal government to stop what it calls, “an ever-increasing tide of heavily subsidized solar cells and panels that China’s state-supported solar industry is illegally dumping into the American market.” Spearheaded under the name, The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing, the group filed complaints with both the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission.
Task force leader, Christian Prischmann, from UIbrich, a specialist metals provider to the PV industry, was the recipient of the Standards Leadership award. The European Semi award went to Dr. Tibor Pavelka, CEO of Semilab Co. Ltd. who is a producer of metrology equipment for the characterization of semiconductor and PV materials.
Natcore Technology and MX Holding advised that they had mutually signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture for the research and development of efficiency and cost in the solar industry. The R&D work will incorporate Natcore’s liquid phase deposition (LPD) technology combined with work by Dr. Daniele Margadona, CTO of the MX Group.
JinkoSolar has restarted solar cell production at its plant in Haining, China, after receiving approval by the local Haining government and an appointed panel of experts that remediation work after a fluoride chemical leak satisfied environmental requirements. Clearance by the ‘Experts Committee’ was issued to JinkSolar on October 9, according to the company.
