Leading thin-film PV manufacturer First Solar has surpassed multicrystalline module conversion efficiencies for the first time with its CdTe module efficiency reaching a record 18.6%.
Monocrystalline wafer producer Comtec Solar Systems Group said it had completed the qualification processes to supply two existing customers headquartered in the US and Japan from its Malaysian-based wafer production plant.
Thin-film manufacturing equipment specialist Hanergy Thin Film Power has cancelled a recent 900MW a-Si turnkey production plant with parent company, Hanergy Holding.
Germany-based PV materials manufacturer Heraeus has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Taiwan-based PV materials specialist Giga Solar Materials Corp for allegedly infringing a patent held by Heraeus over front-side metallisation paste materials used for solar cells.
Nano-electronics research center imec said it had achieved a record cell conversion efficiency of 22.5% for its large area (6-inch) n-type PERT (passivated emitter, rear totally diffused) Cz-Si solar cell.
Tier-one integrated PV manufacturer ReneSola already shifting its business model away from OEM production supply to bundled services as well as shifting its module sales to higher margin markets and away from the US and China with greater focus on its downstream project business.
An EU funded R&D project has been launched to achieve commercially viable CIGS (copper indium gallium (di)selenide) thin-film cells with 25% conversion efficiencies.
Equipment specialist GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) said it was assessing fire damage to the former Apple sapphire making equipment housed in the Arizona facility that caught fire last week due to a potentially faulty PV rooftop array.
Singapore-based integrated PV module manufacturer REC Solar ASA has reported module sales down 16% quarter-on-quarter due to weaker demand in Europe and declining ASPs.
