Taiwan-based PV materials specialist, Giga Solar Materials Corp said it was gaining market share in the silver paste sector and expected to ship 210 tons of front-side Ag (silver) metallization paste in 2014, up from just 40 tons in the previous year.
Major monocrystalline wafer producer, LONGi Silicon Materials is entering the PV module market to demonstrate and promote the significant cost reductions achieved in monocrytalline wafer production and highlight the performance and life-time yield superiority of monocrystalline products over multicrystalline.
Non-silicon mono wafer costs are plummeting and could challenge the predominance of monocrystalline silicon wafers, according to the head of a leading Chinese wafer producer.
The Precious Metals business group of Heraeus posted product revenue of €1.29 billion in 2013, which includes its Thick Film Materials segment that includes conductive pastes for the solar industry.
Last week, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) reported first quarter sales of only US$23 million, which included US$13 million in sales from its PV segment and US$4 million from its Polysilicon segment.
PV module encapsulant material supplier, STR Holdings continues to struggle transitioning its business and product portfolio after loosing its major customer, First Solar earlier in 2013.
PV equipment specialist, centrotherm reported first quarter 2014 revenue of €39.5 million of which around 50% was attributed to payments on its turnkey polysilicon plant being built for Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) in Qatar.
The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) will partner on thin-film PV research with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Materials specialist Krempel Group said it recently received Japan’s JET certification for its black PV fluoropolymer backsheet laminate as well as obtaining TÜV certification for differently coloured fluoropolymer-based backsheets.
