Search Results for: recycling – Page 22

Tenesol, owned by Total and EDF, has become the first French manufacturer of solar PV panels to be awarded the triple certification of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OSHAS 18001 certifications. Benoit Rolland, general manager of Tenesol said, "The increased demand for solar energy worldwide has reinforced our commitment to total quality, sustainable development and safety. We are delighted to achieve this triple certification - it is a testament to our continued efforts in these areas and it will no doubt foster further improvement in all aspects of our work."

Calisolar has bought 6N Silicon, in a stock-for-stock transaction between the two privately held companies. In addition to the acquisition, $22.5 million in funding was raised from existing Calisolar and 6N investors, according to the companies. The new funds will be used to increase capacity at Calisolar's Sunnyvale, CA, UMG-grade silicon photovoltaic cell manufacturing facility and expand silicon purification operations in Vaughan, ON, where 6N will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company.

Climate Change Capital Private Equity, the €200 million fund dedicated to investments in clean technology companies, has led a convertible bond issue in Metallkraft, the Norwegian company that developed a patented process to recycle spent slurry used in cutting solar silicon wafers.

Solarfun is the latest company to join PV Cycle on its mission to introduce programs to take back and recycle end-of-life PV modules.

Speciality metals refiner 5N Plus has signed an MOU supply agreement with Abound Solar to supply high-purity cadmium telluride and cadmium sulphide materials for the CdTe thin film start-up’s module manufacturing operations. First Solar, the leading thin film producer, is 5N Plus’ largest customer. Abound Solar has also signed a long-term module recycling contract with 5N Plus that includes manufacturing scrap that will also be fully recycled.

The cadmium telluride refiner and major supplier to First Solar, 5N Plus is diversifying into solar module recycling, according to a Wall Street Journal article. The company is setting up in a rented facility the system required initially to handle coated soda-lime glass and later the ability to recycle fully laminated modules. The new business is not connected to First Solar’s CdTe modules, according to the story, which quoted a First Solar spokesperson.

First Solar has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government to build a multiphase solar power plant project in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, a site that will eventually reach 2GW in installed capacity. Once finalized, the agreement--the first of its kind between the Chinese authorities and a non-Chinese solar company--could also lead to the construction of First Solar moduling and supplier manufacturing facilities in the region.

First Solar will build and operate a 100MW plus capacity CdTe thin-film plant in France for EDF Energies Nouvelles, equally sharing the capital and start-up costs, with EDF taking all production volumes for a 10-year period. In essence, First Solar has added ‘contract manufacturing’ or ‘foundry’ operations to its evolving business model. According to the new partners, the new 100MW plus plant will require an initial capital investment of more than €90 million. Full production is planned for the second half of 2011. The location of the site is expected to be announced in the next few months and will also include a facility for recycling solar panels, France’s first such facility and Europe’s only solar panel recycling plant outside of Germany.

Canadian Solar has announced that it has become a member of Brussels-based PV Cycle, an organisation that promotes voluntary take-back and recycling of end-of-life PV modules, including seeking to define collection and recycling targets for the PV industry.

Often touted as the next thin-film technology to take on cadmium telluride thin-film leader First Solar, copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) technology is set to grow and the use of indium, a key absorber material, will grow even faster. In a new report from NanoMarkets entitled ‘Indium Markets for Photovoltaics’, indium consumption is expected to see a rise of 80% by 2016, equating to 228 metric tons (MT) in 2016, up from the 20MT consumed today. However, the market research firm is forecasting that CIGS PV cells would represent only 8% of PV megawatts in that time.