Slurry recycling specialist, SiC Processing which is currently in receivership, has warned unsecured creditors to expect low debt recovery due to a preliminary, unaudited assessment of its assets.
Major polysilicon producer Hemlock Semiconductor has cited unresolved trade disputes, notably with China, as a key factor behind the decision to lay off approximately 400 employees, while reducing polysilicon production and delaying the ramp of its new plant in Tennessee.
ASP declines in 2012, driven by industry overcapacity throughout the PV supply chain, forced over 350 companies in China, from equipment suppliers, polysilicon producers to module manufacturers, to stop operations entirely, according to market research firm ENF.
Materials IP developer, Applied Nanotech has opened a proprietary PV metallic inks and paste production plant in China with JV partner Sichuan Anxian Yinhe Constructional & Chemical Group Co., Ltd (YHCC), an electronic paste manufacturer focused on the PV industry.
PV manufacturer China Sunergy has established a new manufacturing facility in Istanbul, Turkey with its local partner Seul Energy Investment Corp, PV systems provider and installer in Turkey.
Overcapacity, weak demand and uncompetitive production have forced around 90% of polysilicon producers in China to suspend production, according to news reports in China.
UK-based solar wafer producer, PV Crystalox Solar will implement a significant reduction in its workforce, while discontinuing its polysilicon operations in Germany and heavily cut ingot production in the UK and wafer production in Germany.
Thin film manufacturer First Solar has established an operating subsidiary in Cape Town, South Africa. The move follows a recent swathe of large utility-scale PV announcements in South Africa, as part of the country’s first round of renewable energy project bidding.
Having recently introduced its latest ENLIGHT polyolefin PV module encapsulant films, Dow Chemical has said it will be further developing the films and adding manufacturing capacity at its integrated site in Schkopau, Germany, in 2013.
