Leading polysilicon and wafer producer GCL-Poly Energy Holdings has signed a new supply contract with sister PV module manufacturing company, GCL System Integration totalling 110,000,000 wafers through the second-half of 2016.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) leader Trina Solar said it had achieved an average efficiency of 21.1% for its industrially-produced P-type monocrystalline cells (156 x 156 mm2) with Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology at its ‘golden’ pilot production line.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier, Meyer Burger has received an order valued at around US$10.3 million for its recently launched DW288 Series 3 diamond wire cutting technology.
Nanoelectronics research center imec and kerfless epitaxial wafer start-up, Crystal Solar have demonstrated a homojunction solar cell with a record 22.5% conversion efficiency said to pave the way to low-cost solar wafer commercialisation.
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment specialist SoLayTec, a subsidiary of Amtech Systems has received a number of new tool orders from a range of customers planning p-type PERC, n-type IBC and bi-facial solar cell production in 2016.
Monocrystalline wafer producer Comtec Solar Systems Group said it expected to report a loss of over RMB400 million (US$62 million) for 2015, due to a series of write-downs, advance polysilicon payments and declining wafer ASPs.
Integrated China-based monocrystalline PV producer, Solargiga Energy Holdings as expected from preliminary announcements, reported only a small increase in revenue for 2015, however the company returned to a small net profit, compared to a net loss in 2014.
According to SolarWorld’s 186-page annual report for 2015, and a presentation by Dr. Holger Neuhaus, Managing Director, SolarWorld Innovations GmbH at the inaugural PV CellTech conference held in Malaysia last week, high-efficiency products will be the key focus of its expanded manufacturing capacity and technology migrations in 2016.
Former major PV equipment provider, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has successfully emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy in the District of New Hampshire, US after seeking protection in October, 2014.