Having posted record revenue of CHF 1.32 billion in 2011, major PV equipment supplier, Meyer Burger acknowledge that 2012 would be a lean year due to overcapacity and significant cuts to capital spending from PV manufacturers. The company guided revenue to be down significantly in 2012 and in the range of CHF 600–800 million and an EBITDA margin between 4–8%. Management noted that it didn’t expect a recovery in demand for equipment until 2013 and had started a restructuring plan to reduce operating costs with a 15% workforce reduction.
Emphasis on high-performance module production and increased shipments to markets such as the US and Japan, to take advantage of growing utility-scale and residential businesses respectively, was a key highlight in JA Solar’s quarterly conference call. China, would also receive greater attention as partnerships with utility customers expanded its pipeline.
Dow Chemical announced that it had officially opened its Dow Seoul Technology Centre in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The R&D centre will focus on technological advances in display technologies and semiconductor-related applications including lithography, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), display materials and advanced chip packaging.
The Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) advised that it had recently bought a process development tool (PDT) from SoLayTec, which will use A12O3 deposition and integrate the surface passivation layers into different type of silicon solar cells, which are under development.
Innotech Solar (ITS) and CEO Thor-Christian Tuv have decided to part ways after identifying differing opinions on the company’s future growth and expansion. The company’s board is now focusing on creating a new long-term growth strategy to meet the dynamic challenges of the photovoltaic industry. The ITS board views the introduction of new skills and expertise as an important priority, and has appointed David Hogg to the role of CEO at Innotech Solar with immediate effect.
Renewable Energy Corporation said that operating its 300MW monocrystalline wafer plant in Glomfjord, Norway would continue to lose money despite cost reduction efforts and that it will therefore be closed permanently. The plant closure will affect 200 employees.
Thin-film module manufacturer Stion has announced that it will begin shipping from its Mississippi factory after receiving certifications from Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and International Electrotechnical Commissions (IEC). The move follows the development of modules with a nominal power of up to 140MW. Commercial shipments will commence from the Hattiesburg plant later this month.
The difficult solar market in the last quarter of 2011, led Elkem Solar to suspend operations at its plant in Kristiansand, Norway. However, the company has advised that full production has been restored due to an increase in orders for Elkem Solar Silicon.
China-based developer Solar EnerTech Corp has advised that despite its financial struggles requiring it to deregister its common stock; it has retained FTI Consulting to lead its restructuring plans. A chief restructuring officer from FTI has been appointed to explore alternatives to maximize the return to investors.
Sunlogics Power, a subsidiary of the Salamon Group, is now the senior creditor of the collapsed DayStar Technologies, a company developing thin-film CIGS deposition technology. Sunlogics is DayStar’s business development and strategic opportunities consultant and will continue to advise in this function.
