In this week's Movers & Shakers segment, PV Tech examines new US solar employment initiatives, new up-and-coming technology and industry policy debates as well as career moves by influential individuals.
Struggling Hanergy Thin Film Power Group has appointed Lin Qi, currently the executive vice-president and chief operation officer of parent company, Hanergy Holding Group as an executive director.
The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) has set a new world record conversion efficiency for a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) lab-sized solar cell, verified by Fraunhofer ISE of 22.6%.
INDEOtec’s Octopus II PECVD system has proven capabilities in the formation of heterojunction solar cells that enables top and bottom side thin film substrate deposition without the need of substrate flipping and vacuum breakage. The proprietary reactor design and a unique electrode arrangement allow low plasma ignition levels and low ion bombardments, which result in superior film thickness uniformity and excellent passivation levels.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies said it had signed ‘pre-contracts’ worth more than €110 million (US$123 million) for CIGS thin-film production equipment with China National Building Materials (CNBM), owner of manufacturer Avancis.
CIGS thin-film module producer Avancis has reported a record conversion efficiency of 17.9% with a 30x30 cm² champion mini-module, certified by Fraunhofer ISE.
CIGS thin-film start-up Siva Power has raised US$5 million in new Series D financing to build a pilot line to produce small-scale production to demonstrate its co-evaporation source technology at its facility in Santa Clara, California.
Market research firm Lux Research believes the commercial deployment of perovskite solar cells could just be around the corner, according to a new published report.
By any ‘normal’ metrics, PV thin-film equipment and module producer Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (Hanergy TF) remains in a dire financial position after reporting a non-cash loss of around US$1.58 billion in 2015 and its biggest customer and parent company, Hanergy Holdings and its affiliates failed to make due payments of around US$680 million.
