A 3GW module shipment “milestone” announced today by Japan-headquartered thin-film firm Solar Frontier is confirmation that CIGS technology “can work” despite facing challenges during its history, according to solar market analyst Finlay Colville.
Leading thin-film manufacturer First Solar faces the prospect of losing a key financial supporter of its foreign exports as the possible closure of the US Export-Import Bank looms.
Solar Frontier, the vertically integrated thin-film PV manufacturer and project developer headquartered in Japan, has opened an office in London aimed at steering its activities in the currently buoyant UK market.
The Guggenheim Solar Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) has sold its shares in Hanergy Thin Film Power (TFP) despite the stock not currently being publicly traded.
Recognising that the vast growth in solar deployment under the feed-in tariff (FiT) could lead to an accumulation of PV waste in landfills, Japan will soon begin implementing recycling rules for solar modules.
Thin-film is better suited to compete across all market segments with its conventional rivals than ever before, despite generally recording lower conversion efficiencies, Solar Frontier CEO Atsuhiko Hirano has said.
Leading thin-film PV manufacturer First Solar has surpassed multicrystalline module conversion efficiencies for the first time with its CdTe module efficiency reaching a record 18.6%.
Thin-film manufacturing equipment specialist Hanergy Thin Film Power has cancelled a recent 900MW a-Si turnkey production plant with parent company, Hanergy Holding.
An EU funded R&D project has been launched to achieve commercially viable CIGS (copper indium gallium (di)selenide) thin-film cells with 25% conversion efficiencies.
