PV and polysilicon manufacturing equipment specialist centrotherm photovoltaics has withdrawn its earnings forecast for fiscal year 2016, due to PV manufacturers postponing capital expenditure (capex) plans on overcapacity and rapid price declines.
PV Tech’s preliminary analysis of global PV manufacturing capacity expansion plans in the third quarter of 2016, highlight an absence of China based solar cell and module manufacturers making new announcements for either domestic or overseas production.
Integrated PV module manufacturer REC Group has said it has trimmed its global workforce by 3%, or around 65 jobs out of approximately 2,200 employees.
US-based high-efficiency integrated PV manufacturer Mission Solar Energy is reportedly to close its N-type mono solar cell line with the loss of 87 jobs and focus on module assembly to remain competitive.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger Technology announced a major restructuring plan to become more flexible to market dynamics by lowering its operating cost base by CHF 50 million per annum and reducing its workforce by around 16% by the end of 2016.
SCHMID Group is offering its ‘Inline System’ for alkaline texturing that provides a lower cost option for PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) cell architectures that reduces the consumption of chemicals.
Cogenra Solar, a subsidiary of US-based high-efficiency module manufacturer SunPower, has filed a lawsuit against SolarCity over claims of IP (Intellectual Property) theft and infringement over its direct solar cell to cell contact technology that is often described as an overlapping shingle-like pattern.
High-efficiency PV module producer and project developer SunPower is to take over its joint venture (JV) solar cell manufacturing operations in Malaysia from Taiwan-based partner AUO, a subsidiary of AU Optronics Corporation at a cost of US$170 million, payable over the next four years.
The University of Delaware’s Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) has been awarded US$2.1 million from the SunShot Initiative for two research projects aiming to improve the performance of interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells while reducing their production costs and new techniques for CIGS deposition.
