Materials

Integrated PV module manufacturer REC Group has said it has trimmed its global workforce by 3%, or around 65 jobs out of approximately 2,200 employees.

Swedish CIGS thin-film equipment supplier Midsummer said it had secured a follow-on order from an undisclosed customer for its flexible CIGS thin-film process tool.

US-based high-efficiency integrated PV manufacturer Mission Solar Energy is reportedly to close its N-type mono solar cell line with the loss of 87 jobs and focus on module assembly to remain competitive.

Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger Technology announced a major restructuring plan to become more flexible to market dynamics by lowering its operating cost base by CHF 50 million per annum and reducing its workforce by around 16% by the end of 2016.

Major Korea-based polysilicon producer OCI Company said it would make a final decision on acquiring Tokuyama’s Malaysian polysilicon operations by the end of March 2017.

Cogenra Solar, a subsidiary of US-based high-efficiency module manufacturer SunPower, has filed a lawsuit against SolarCity over claims of IP (Intellectual Property) theft and infringement over its direct solar cell to cell contact technology that is often described as an overlapping shingle-like pattern.

3D-Micromac’s ‘microCELL’ TLS is a highly productive laser system for separation of standard silicon solar cells into half cells. The microCELL TLS meets cell manufacturers demands for retaining the mechanical strength of the cut cells.

Polysilicon producer REC Silicon is cutting production at its Moses Lake facility by around 50% from the beginning of October due to overcapacity in the solar supply chain.

The solar centric political campaigning group EU ProSun, established by integrated PV module manufacturer, SolarWorld, has condemned China and Chinese module manufacturers for causing SolarWorld to make 500 ‘temporary’ workers at its manufacturing plants in Germany, redundant.

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) thin-film producer Heliatek has raised €80 million (US$88 million) in a new funding round to expand its ‘HeliaFilm’ manufacturing capacity by one million m² per annum.