The recent announcement by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to invest US$457 million in solar technology development under the moniker of the SunShot Advanced PV Manufacturing Partnerships Program has given the industry a welcome boost. With the recent payout to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), news has emerged that Veeco has partnered with the CNSE for technology development and reduction of costs associated with CIGS technologies.
Apparent success with the R&D stage of the joint development project between Tata Steel and Dyesol to commercialise dye solar cells onto steel sheeting is said to be moving to a pre-industrial phase. The £11m project, which received a £5 million technology grant from the Welsh Assembly in Wales, is due to be completed in June 2011.
TechPrecision, a manufacturer of metal components and systems for the renewable energy industry, has received new orders totalling US$2 million for its wafer production equipment. The equipment, manufactured by TechPrecision’s U.S. and Chinese subsidiaries, Ranor and Wuxi Critical Mechanical Components, is expected to be shipped before the end of Q3.
PV module encapsulants supplier, STR Holdings posted 2010 sales to the solar sector of US$259.2 million, an increase of 73.4%, compared to sales of US$149.5 million in 2009. Management noted that the increase in sales was due to increased market share gains with its current Tier 1 Chinese customers as well starting to supply a large Asian module manufacturer in the year.
CIGS thin-film photovoltaics manufacturer SoloPower has received a conditional commitment for a $197 million loan guarantee from the US. Department of Energy Loan Programs office. The company said the funds will support construction of a flexible thin-film module manufacturing facility in Wilsonville, OR, that, when completed and at full capacity, is expected to have an annual capacity of approximately 400MW.
Global PV demand of 18GW in 2011 is being projected by investment bank, Roth Capital Partners. Concerns of major overcapacity in module production exist but estimates bankable module supply is in the 21GW range and would only exceed demand by approximately 18%.
A new report from IMS Research highlights that the PV inverter market has gone from chronic shortages to major overcapacity in the last 12 months. High levels of inventory were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2010 and into the New Year, according to the market research firm. Despite the overcapacity concerns, the global PV inverter market is forecast to reach US$8.5 billion by 2014.
Semiconductor capital equipment supplier Tegal and consultancy se2quel Partners have formed sequel Power, a new company focused on the development and operation of very large-scale solar photovoltaic-based utilities in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. At least 10 projects in the range of 750MW (DC) to 1.1GW (DC) are in various stages of negotiation, and all are located in high-insolation regions, according to company sources.
Mannington Township has approved Lincoln Renewable Energy's planning application for its 10MW Cedar Solar farm in Salem County, New Jersey. Lincoln Renewable plan to start work at the 129-acre site in early 2011, with construction costs estimated at US$60 million.
