As part of its long-term cost reduction goals for its turnkey Micromorph thin film silicon ‘ThinFab’ production lines, Oerlikon Solar has teamed with gas suppliers Air Liquide and Linde to provide more than a 20% reduction in total cost of all gases and precursors. As a result, its ThinFab (120MWp) lines going into full production by end of 2012 can reduce module production costs by up to 5%. The total gas budget was said to be less than €8.50 per panel.
After a record revenue financial year, Applied Materials is experiencing a significant reduction in equipment orders and revenue from PV manufacturing customers. Though cancellations were minimal, backlog decreased by 26% to US$2.4 billion, of which 14% is within its EES division, which includes PV equipment. Management expects PV related global CapEx to at fall by at least 50% in 2012 as manufacturers combat massive overcapacity and focus on cell efficiency improvements and technology buys.
China Sunergy (CSUN) revealed that, effective since September 15, Robert Rice was appointed as the company’s chief sales, marketing and strategy officer as well as its vice president. Rice manages corporate international expansion and sales and marketing functions for the company in order to expand CSUN’s global market presence. Rice will additionally spearhead the establishment of long-term industry partnerships and the recruitment of a global sales team.
First Solar has begun construction on what will be Australia’s first utility-scale PV project once it reaches completions, Located near Geraldton, the 10MW (AC) Greenough River Solar Farm will be built over a nine-month period, with local civil contractor WBHO Civil providing Phase 1 construction services. Civil work on the project began November 4, with on-site construction for structural supports and above ground electrical work following soon.
Capacity expansions are out, improving manufacturing line efficiencies and productivity is in, according to First Solar’s chairman Michael Ahearn, who took over the CEO role from ousted Rob Gillete last week. Capacity expansions had seen average module efficiencies rates increase modestly in 2011; on the downside, production cost per watt merely flat-lined. Almost unheard of was the fact that manufacturing line utilization rates had dipped below 100% as capacity outstripped demand. Back at the helm, Ahearn said that First Solar would re-focus on markets without energy subsidies such as the Middle East as well as markets with critical energy needs such as India, North Africa and China.
Strong quarterly shipments failed to offer respite from a rapid decline in revenue and profit margins within OCI Chemicals, polysilicon production division in the third quarter of 2011. Revenue in its polysilicon segment fell from KRW572 billion in Q2 to KRW495 billion in Q3. Margins fell from 50% in Q2 to 36% in Q3, according to the company.
Citing some customer cutbacks in solar module manufacturing production levels and continued pressure on wafer prices that have declined more than 50% since April this year, PV Crystalox Solar is taking drastic measures to reduce cash burn in difficult times for the global PV industry. The company guided a significant reduction in wafer shipments, compared to previous forecasts, job losses and short time working.
According to a new study by IMS Research, PV component profits are expected to fall by 70% year-on-year in Q4 2011. Furthermore, an examination of the polysilicon, wafer, cell, module and inverter industries led the research organization to conclude that the continuation of dropping prices in 2011 will cause gross margins for the whole PV industry to drop 17% to 12.4% in Q4.
Task force leader, Christian Prischmann, from UIbrich, a specialist metals provider to the PV industry, was the recipient of the Standards Leadership award. The European Semi award went to Dr. Tibor Pavelka, CEO of Semilab Co. Ltd. who is a producer of metrology equipment for the characterization of semiconductor and PV materials.
In 2010, pvXchange traded nearly 185MW of solar modules and 85MW of inverters working with over 300 suppliers and 2,500 active buyers for the European market. The company is now looking to make headway in the North American market with the opening of its new US headquarters in San Francisco, which is supplemented with pvXchange’s presence in New Jersey and Ontario, Canada as well.
