Market research firm, Solarbuzz has reported its Top 10 rankings by cell capacity in 2010. Actually, there were 12 companies in the ranking due to several companies tying on capacity. Suntech Power and JA Solar tied for the first position, followed closely by First Solar.
Natcore Technology has set up shop at MicroTech Systems Fremont, California facility in order to begin work on its first production model of its intelligent liquid phase deposition (LPD) processing station that intends to grow antireflective (AR) coating on silicon wafers. The LPD process grows the AR coating in a warm chemical bath, which is said to eliminate the need for silane, diminish energy needs and lower silicon use.
Power-One has begun shipping central inverters from its Chinese manufacturing and design facility in Shenzhen. By the end of 2011, the site will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 1GW.
Two of Japan’s leading solar companies are to donate ¥600 million to the relief fund for the Sendai earthquake. Mitsubishi Electric and Kyocera will give ¥500 million and ¥100 million respectively to help victims and the rebuilding process.
Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan was said by experts to be the largest to hit the country in over a century. A massive10-metre (33-foot) high tsunami battered coastal towns and cities across the northeast coast with Sendai, north of Tokyo affected the most by the disaster. As for the events' impact on the solar PV supply chain, initial reports indicate the effects have been minimal.
Delta Energy Systems’ inverter lines have been certified for compatibility with First Solar’s latest FS-Series 2 and FS-Series 3 thin-film modules. First Solar’s System Design and Application certification covers both Delta’s Solivia 2.5, 3.0, 3.3 and 5.0 EU G3 string inverters and its central inverter line.
Tenaska Solar Ventures has chosen Soitec’s Concentrix concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology to power its new 150MW Imperial Solar Energy Center (ISEC) West plant in Southern California, with local utility SDG&E agreeing to buy the power generated from the site under a 25-year PPA. The company also announced plans to build a 200MW capacity CPV module manufacturing facility in the San Diego area. The ISEC West project has applied for a DOE loan guarantee as well.
BTU International’s Shanghai, China manufacturing plant has shipped its 3000th thermal processing unit since its opening in February of 2004. During the seven years the plant has been in operation, it has gone through several modifications and expansions, including a 2008 addition of a solar application lab. The plant earned ISO 9001:2008 certification for its observance of high quality standards in 2009.
Akrion Systems has appointed Dr. Mehran Asdigha as its new vice president of engineering. Asdigha joins the surface preparation specialists from BlueShift Technologies where he was senior vice president of engineering.
Dr. Thomas Surek is known as a pioneer of terrestrial PV research who started his 37-year career with his growth of shaped silicon crystals at Harvard University in 1973. Recently, Surek has been appointed to Magnolia Solar’s technical advisory board (TAB) where he will be able to help the company further its promotion of PV systems as an alternative energy source. His experience in the field includes research at Mobil Tyco Solar Energy and a contributor to the large-scale commercialization of the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) process through his shaped crystal growth of silicon.
