This paper presents Calyxo’s recent advances in product design that have resulted in independently confirmed peak aperture-area efficiencies of 13.4% for modules and 16.2% for cells. Some insight is given into a suitable product design for achieving the highest reliability possible, even in hot climates such as Australia, with no signs of degradation during the first three years of deployment in the field. These technical advances and the midterm production-cost target of US$0.50/Wp allow a forecast levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of under US$0.10/KWh, especially in sunny regions of the world.
Large-scale solar in India was given a showcase last week when Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, dedicated over 600MW of commissioned solar projects to the nation. The celebration of Indian solar innovation and ambition was delivered to over 10,000 people at the Charanka Solar Park – a 200MW facility in the North Western state of Gujarat, close to the Pakistan border.
Innotech Solar (ITS) and CEO Thor-Christian Tuv have decided to part ways after identifying differing opinions on the company’s future growth and expansion. The company’s board is now focusing on creating a new long-term growth strategy to meet the dynamic challenges of the photovoltaic industry. The ITS board views the introduction of new skills and expertise as an important priority, and has appointed David Hogg to the role of CEO at Innotech Solar with immediate effect.
Concentrating solar power companies, Abengoa, BrightSource Energy, and Torresol Energy announced the formation of the Concentrating Solar Power Alliance (CSPA). Market research group SBI Energy predicts a rise in the CSP market for 2012 and with the PV industry in such turmoil, there is a hole just waiting to be filled.
GE Energy Financial Services announced that over the past year, the company has more than doubled its global solar power investment commitments to US$1.4 billion, leading to nearly US$ 5 billion in projects. The company notes that its 1GW portfolio spans 48 solar power plants in six countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the US.
DEGERenergie has hired several new key personnel to its international offices in order to better serve, and build better relationships, with its customers. Customers in Germany and other European countries will now be serviced by Hendrik Walter and Steffen Bahlinger.
JinkoSolar has announced that it has connected China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development’s 18MW PV power plant to China’s grid. The plant, located in Dunhuang, Gansu Province in west China, consists of 76,000 of JinkoSolar’s modules on a plot area of 400,000m2.
Westinghouse Solar has been granted an equity investment from CBD Energy; a partnership that will also see the companies mutually explore a wider strategic relationship. The investment saw Westinghouse Solar issue common stock at a price of US$0.60 per share for gross proceeds of US$1,000,000.
Lux Research’s latest Solar Demand Forecaster claims Portugal’s installations cap to be the most alluring in Europe to investors. The country’s internal rates of returns (IRR) for the six major solar technologies remain high in 2011 along with Cyprus and Greece, though the financial crisis in Europe could significantly hinder that market.
An end-of-year surge in the number of utility-scale PV installation in China and India will result in installed capacity for 2011 in the Asia-Pacific region reaching 4.8GW, according to the new Asia Pacific Major PV Markets Quarterly report from NPD Solarbuzz.
