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Hoku Materials has signed a silicon metal supply agreement with Polymet Alloys. The wholly owned subsidiary of Hoku Scientific said it plans to use the metallurgical-grade silicon for the production of trichlorosilane, a critical raw material in the manufacture of solar-grade polysilicon.

A new analysis from iSuppli forecasts that the price of polysilicon will begin a "precipitous plunge in 2009 after peaking this year," as the supply of the raw material exceeds demand. At fault, according to the research firm, are "fundamental imbalances in the solar supply chain." After peaking at as high as $500 per kilogram this year and suppliers largely dictating terms to customers during a three-year price rise, the report sees the average spot market price for poly dropping next year to as low as $200 per kilogram.

The use of perfluorinated gases such as NF3, CF4 or SF6 for PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) chamber cleaning has a much higher impact on global warming than does the use of onsite-generated F2. This holds true even when supposing that in the future much more effort is paid for the correct abatement and a leak-free supply and take-back chain. This paper will discuss the steps available to the PV industry for control and reduction of carbon emissions in the chamber cleaning process.

Canadian Solar said it has completed and commissioned Phase I of its ingot and wafer plant on schedule. The new production capacity gives the company an annualized ingot and wafer capacity of 60 MW. CSI has also reiterated its 2009 guidance figures.

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At the recently held Global PV Demand Conference, hosted by SolarPlaza, attendees raised concern over the potential overcapacity in the photovoltaics industry having a significant impact, starting in 2009.

Canadian Solar (CSI) and GCL Silicon Technology have signed new long-term supply agreements, in which GCL will provide 510 metric tons of high-purity polysilicon feedstock over the next two years and approximately 1.8 GW of solar wafers to CSI from 2010-2015.

Schneider Electric is to purchase Xantrex Technology, Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $412 million. Xantrex is a top 3 global player in the solar and wind inverter market and number 1 in the U.S. As a condition to the sale, Xantrex will divest its programmable power business to AMETEK, Inc. for $120 million in cash.

Linde has signed a long-term contract with Sodiff Advanced Materials for the supply of electronic-grade silane. The agreement, the duration and cost of which were not specified in the announcement, will see the delivery of the silane from Sodiff’s facility at Youngju, Korea, which comes on line in the second half of 2009. This contract will account for a large proportion of Sodiff’s 2,000-tonne silane production output.

Polysilicon shortages are not only limiting the potential growth of the PV industry but are continuing to impact manufacturing costs, according to Dr. Henning Wicht, Senior Director and Principal Analyst, MEMS and PV for iSuppli. Costs are rising rather than falling, forcing PV manufacturers to establish their own polysilicon production as well as seek cost saving elsewhere.