Manufacturing

Start-up, Solar3D, has claimed the use of an unspecified “thinner” silicon wafer substrate in prototyping its technology has achieved improved cell efficiency of 10% above its 25% cell efficiency claimed in 2012. The results have not been verified by a third party.

Thin-film manufacturer SoloPower has announced it is looking for new investors as its restructuring process continues.

The SCHMID Group has delivered its first TinPad system for volume production to an unidentified customer.

Taiwan-based TSMC Solar has pushed its CIGS thin-film module efficiency to 15.7%, up from 15.1%, only four months ago.

Energy company E.ON’s solar subsidiary, E.ON Climate and Renewables (EC&R), has completed its US first projects, in Arizona.

PV system integrator, Phoenix Solar, has signed a contract with solar developer Silicon Ranch for a 38.6MW solar plant near Atlanta, Georgia.

SolarWorld has confirmed it will lay off 100 people from its plant in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Japanese PV manufacturer Panasonic is to close its module factory in Hungary at the expense of 550 jobs.

Citing changing market conditions and an extended period of consolidation within the solar sector, PV inverter market leader, SMA Solar Technology plans to reduce its headcount further by around 700 full-time positions in Germany by the end of 2014.

With the aim of achieving 20% conversion efficiencies but with lower material costs, Solliance and imec have demonstrated a CZTSe (Cu2ZnSnSe4)-based thin-film solar cell (1x1cm2, AM1.5G) with 9.7% efficiency.