Manufacturing

Laser equipment specialist LPKF reported strong sales to the solar industry in 2014, despite limited capital spending in the sector.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and PV Lighthouse have officially announced the development and operation of the world’s first free access online solar cell fabrication simulator, designed to replicate real world production processes.

Thin-film maker Hanergy, which has been the subject of recent press reports over “unusual” share trading, has opened a number of retail stores in its homeland, China.

Solarwatt, a German-based module manufacturer, has officially acquired the French subsidiary of German Centrosolar.

Major merchant solar cell producer Neo Solar Power (NSP) reported a modest decline in revenue for February 2015 due to the shorter working month and Chinese New Year.

Flexible CIGS thin-film producer Ascent Solar Technologies reported 2014 annual revenue of US$5.33 million on net losses of US$43.3 million.

Major tier-one PV manufacturer JinkoSolar has finally said its first major overseas solar cell and module manufacturing facility is based in Penang, Malaysia.

Sweden-based nano-material development firm, Sol Voltaics has claimed a 1-sun record conversion efficiency of 15.3% for a solar cell coated with its gallium-arsenide (GaAs) nanowire array (NWA).

PV manufacturing equipment specialist Smit Ovens has filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands to restructure its operations.

SolarWorld is planning to add a total of 500MW of monocrystalline ingot production at the former Bosch solar manufacturing facilities in Arnstadt, Germany, and upgrade all 700MW of solar cell production at the site to next-generation PERC (passivated emitter rear cell) technology.