Manufacturing

AQT Solar has said that the first shipment of modules with AQT CIGS solar cells has recently been completed. Cell shipments have been delivered to several customers and the company states that it currently has an order backlog of 160MW, of which 50MW will be delivered in 2011.

In the wake of SpectraWatt’s startling announcement that it will be laying off most of its workforce and possibly close its doors, Roth & Rau is speculating that it will not be able to meet the sales and earnings levels it had hoped to attain during the 2010 financial year.

Einar Glomnes recently resigned his position from the board of Ascent Solar, effective December 21, after he was promoted to vice president of sales, Europe, along with other added roles at Norsk Hydro. As his departure left a seat open, Norsk Hydro Produksjon, Ascent’s largest stockholder, designated Hans Olav Kvalvaag as the newest member of the board.

Over the next three years, Trina Solar will be dedicating US$800 million toward the expansion of its Changzhou Trina PV Park. The investment is set to begin during 2011 and continue through 2013 for the purpose of increasing the PV Park’s manufacturing capacity and its research and development facilities.

CSIRO and Dyesol have completed the first stage of their joint project developing higher performance dyes for dye solar cells (DSC). The first six months of the programme has seen Dyesol build a research-scale assembly and testing facility at CSIRO’s Newcastle-based centre, in south-east Australia.

In a blow to homegrown U.S. solar manufacturing, Intel spinoff SpectraWatt will be laying off most of its workforce and possibly closing down operations, according to published reports. The crystalline-silicon PV cell manufacturer will let more than 100 employees go starting in March of next year and may shutter its less-than-year-old factory located in IBM’s Hudson Research Park in Hopewell Junction, NY.

United Solar has been deemed a Certified Green Business under the Institute for Green Business Certification’s (IGBC) standards. According to IGBC, United Solar demonstrated dedication for the environmental welfare and well-being of the communities it serves.

CPV solar cell manufacturer Emcore continues to narrow quarterly losses in its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results.

Encapsulant producer STR Holdings will move the majority of its U.S. manufacturing operations to a newly-acquired factory in East Windsor, Connecticut, which will also house a 20,000 square foot research and development laboratory. Relocation costs are expected to total US$19 million.

Continued PV module capacity expansions next year will result in price declines of 15%, fueling further growth of the PV industry, according to a new industry forecast from Standard & Poor Equity.