JA Solar's R&D team has developed and revealed its new high-power multicrystalline solar cell that is claimed to sport a conversion efficiency of 18.2%. Using its new “Maple” technology, the company states that its Maple cells feature silicon crystals that are broader, flatter and have less grain boundaries than traditional multicrystalline silicon. This new technology is said to allow for less energy waste and better conversion efficiency.
Dutch research organisation TNO spin-off company SoLayTec has received an investment from Rena and Brabant Development Agency (BOM) to bring its atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology for volume manufacturing of c-Si solar cells to commercialization. Financial details were not disclosed.
BTU International has signed a worldwide licensing agreement to use DuPont Packaging Graphics’ catalytic oxidation technology. Developed to block volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the technology can be used in tandem with BTU’s Tritan metallization firing systems and is expected to lower the cost per watt of solar cells.
A select group of Q-Cells employees will be presented with certificates for solar cell production monitoring by the German Minister of Finance, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, today after attending a training seminar organised by IHK Bildungszentrum Halle-Dessau.
Taiwan-based solar cell producer Neo Solar Power (NSP) has posted its 10th consecutive month of increased revenue, reaching a new record high of approximately US$84.1 million (NT $2.44 billion) for January, which represented a 5.74% increase month-over-month, and 150.06% year-over-year. NSP has raised its capacity expansion target to 1.3GW in 2011, up from the 1.2GW previously guided.
Founder and President Emeritus of SunPower, Richard Swanson, has been selected as the recipient for the 2011 Karl Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit. The honor comes with a cash award of US$50,000, which is funded by the Karl Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit Trust. The Medal is given every two years to an individual that has made ground-breaking contributions towards the promotion of solar energy through research, development or economic enterprise or to an individual that has proven themselves with valuable and enduring contributions to the solar energy field.
Amtech Systems’ subsidiary, Tempress Systems, started the New Year off on a positive note, receiving US$32 million in new diffusion processing systems in January alone. The company notes that the orders were made by both new and existing Asia-based companies.
MRL Industries has a new name--Sandvik Thermal Process. The California-based diffusion and inline solar furnace manufacturer was bought by Sandvik in 1999, but had kept its own name until the rebranding. MRL will continue to be used as a trademark for certain items in the Sandvik product line.
Solar3D has revealed the details for its new solar cell and plans to have developed a working prototype by the end of 2011. The three-dimensional micro-photovoltaic cell is inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices and Solar3D claim it has the potential to dramatically change the economics of solar energy.
The latest Solarbuzz ‘PV Equipment Quarterly Report’ highlights that the fourth quarter of 2010 saw a further 1.25GW of quarterly solar manufacturing capacity come online. According to the market research firm, annualized c-Si cell and thin-film module capacity increased by a further 11.5GW, in 2010. Equipment spending grew for the sixth consecutive quarter to reach US$2.9 billion in the fourth quarter. At the end of the year, 20 equipment suppliers to have order backlogs in excess of US$100 million, with the majority of these orders scheduled for shipment during the first half of 2011.
