Further confirmation that overcapacity in polysilicon production will continue to force prices lower comes from a new report from IHS iSuppli. According to the market research firm, total polysilicon production capacity is expected to reach 328,000MT in 2012, an increase of 15% from 285,000MT in 2011. However, this contrasts with expected demand this year of 196,000MT, a decline of 4% from 205,000MT in 2011.
Flexibility in PV manufacturers' purchasing strategies, especially in the case of in-house sourcing of polysilicon and wafers, can have a significant impact on manufacturing costs, according IMS Research, which was recently acquired by IHS. The latest twist in purchasing tactics by manufacturers is driven by aggressive price declines in 2011 that are expected to continue in 2012.
Bidding for the real estate, patents and facility inventory of failed Dutch thin-film PV cell manufacturer Nuon Helianthos BV, will begin on April 16. The company announced that the pilot plant, located in Arnhem, would be closed last year after failing to reach commercial production due to lack of investment.
Air Products has completed and brought onstream its hydrogen selenide (H2Se) facility expansion at its electronic specialty materials manufacturing facility in Hometown, PA, USA. The newly expanded high-purity H2Se facility will serve the growing demand from the CIGS market for the compound, which is provided by Air Products to semiconductor and PV customers at more than 99.99% purity levels.
After announcing last October that it was halting polysilicon production at its German facility and cutting wafer jobs in the UK, it is perhaps no surprise that PV Crystalox Solar has posted some rather dreary numbers for 2011. Group revenue was €210.4 million, 17% lower than 2010, due to what the company stated was the effect of lower average selling prices. EBIT, before exceptional items, was €4.1 million, a 1.9% margin. The company did note that shipment volumes of 384MW were reached in 2011, compared to 378MW in 2010.
UK-based Romag and Chinese LDK Solar have formed a research and development alliance to share their knowledge and expertise in the progress of solar technologies. This collaboration is the first of its kind for a UK PV module manufacturer.
Having posted record revenue of CHF 1.32 billion in 2011, major PV equipment supplier, Meyer Burger acknowledge that 2012 would be a lean year due to overcapacity and significant cuts to capital spending from PV manufacturers. The company guided revenue to be down significantly in 2012 and in the range of CHF 600–800 million and an EBITDA margin between 4–8%. Management noted that it didn’t expect a recovery in demand for equipment until 2013 and had started a restructuring plan to reduce operating costs with a 15% workforce reduction.
Dow Chemical announced that it had officially opened its Dow Seoul Technology Centre in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The R&D centre will focus on technological advances in display technologies and semiconductor-related applications including lithography, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), display materials and advanced chip packaging.
Renewable Energy Corporation said that operating its 300MW monocrystalline wafer plant in Glomfjord, Norway would continue to lose money despite cost reduction efforts and that it will therefore be closed permanently. The plant closure will affect 200 employees.
The difficult solar market in the last quarter of 2011, led Elkem Solar to suspend operations at its plant in Kristiansand, Norway. However, the company has advised that full production has been restored due to an increase in orders for Elkem Solar Silicon.
