Applied Materials reported a surprise GAAP operating loss for its Energy and Environmental Solutions (EES) segment of US$322 million that included impairment charges of US$278 million. Non-GAAP operating loss was US$34 million.
Struggling LDK Solar has reported a net loss of US$1.05 billion in 2012, the starkest figure in an annual report containing volumes of negative financial figures.
The Heraeus Photovoltaics business unit, part of German technology firm Heraeus, has upgraded its PV laboratory in Shanghai, China, in order to increase its local support to Chinese cell manufacturers.
Tokuyama Corporation, a Japanese silicon producer, has teamed up with 1366 Technologies, a solar wafer manufacturer, with a key focus on research and development.
Specialist encapsulant supplier STR Holdings continued to see sales slump in the first quarter of 2013, despite many module manufacturers raising production utilization rates on improved demand.
South Korea-based polysilicon supplier OCI has cancelled all three of its long-term supply contracts with Suntech’s Chinese operations in response to subsidiary Suntech Wuxi entering bankruptcy proceedings.
ReneSola has reported neither workers nor operations at its polysilicon factory in Meishan, Sichuan, were affected by the magnitude-7 earthquake that devastated parts of the south-west region over the weekend.
A petrochemical construction firm based in Saudi Arabia plans to build a state-of-the-art polysilicon plant in Sarawak, Malaysia, expected to being production in 2016.
