Europe

Large-area solar simulation systems specialist Eternal Sun has supplied the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) with a solar-PV testing laboratory that includes a hot-spot measuring technology upgrade.

Greater interaction with, and acceptance from, the construction industry will be required if Building Integrated PV is to become mainstream, a group of experts have concluded at EU PVSEC in Hamburg.

Iceland’s prime minister has welcomed news that Silicor Materials has taken a step closer to establishing its “low cost” commercial-scale solar silicon plant, securing US$105 million of equity capital agreements.

Solar developer Conergy has extended its bank guarantee facility with Tennenbaum Capital to US$75 million using funding from Goldman Sachs BDC in order to power an expansion of its solar business.

Meyer Burger has agreed to supply a PV system incorporating the company’s newest heterojunction cell technologies (HJT) and bi-facial PV modules, to one of Switzerland’s biggest retailers.

Module maker Hanwha Q CELLS has expanded its presence in France with the establishment of a new subsidiary and expanded warehouse facilities.

Solar, storage and clean energy testing and accreditation house Fraunhofer ISE has claimed that its newest reference photovoltaic cell “significantly reduces” measurement uncertainty and can be used to take accurate field measurements of solar insolation.

EU ProSun has formally requested an extension of existing solar trade tariffs placed on Chinese manufacturers in the EU.

The EU-China solar trade dispute looks set to reignite with every indication suggesting that EU ProSun will request a review of the impending expiry of duties on Chinese solar imports into Europe put in place in 2013.

Elkem Solar, the new owner of REC Solar, will partially reopen a wafer plant in Porsgrunn, Norway, with the creation of 80 new jobs.