The largest semiconductor foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), said it would be targeting revenue from the solar and LED industries of US$2 billion per annum by 2018 as the company shuffles senior management to address the ‘green energy’ markets, according to news reports. PV-Tech recently reported rumours that TSMC was contemplating a move into solar.
As the number and size of utility-scale photovoltaic plants increases, greater emphasis will be placed on managing and monitoring PV power plants to ensure optimum performance and the required ROI. SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy services provider is doing just that with the announcement that it has opened the first dedicated Renewable Operations Center (ROC), located in SunEdison offices at the McClellan Air Force hangar. The ROC is designed as the hub for SunEdison solar fleet performance data analysis, PV solar energy system monitoring, remote diagnostics, and automated service dispatch.
As part of a planned 41MW of multiple 1MW type solar plants expected to begin construction in Italy in 2009, Enerqos one of the countries largest turnkey suppliers of solar systems and plants is to begin construction of four, 1MW solar plants for European merchant bank, NextEnergy Capital.
As part of Energy Conversion Devices attempts to restore its order books for its ‘UNI-SOLAR’ thin film PV laminates, the company has signed a supply extension with EnergyPeak, a past customer and supplier of BIPV products. The new deal could see EnergyPeak purchase up to 12MW of laminates to be used in standing seam metal commercial rooftop projects through 2011.
Oerlikon Solar's KAI 1200 PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) tool, used for the deposition of silicon absorber layers on thin film glass substrates, was acknowledged by expert solar industry judges and online voting as "the best technical product for thin film manufacturing" during the first annual Cell Award ceremonies, which were held during Intersolar in Munich last week.
Despite the current economic gloom, Saxony-Anhalt in Germany continues to be a key attraction for industries, not least the solar industry. At a recent conference, held in Berlin, it was noted by Prime Minister Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bohmer and the Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Reiner Haseloff that more than €9 billion had been invested in the region from international investors since 1991. The result was the direct creation of over 36,000 jobs.
In a planned three-year effort to reduce the cost of producing crystalline silicon solar cells by reducing and the amount of Si/Watt that is needed by half and boost conversion efficiencies to approximately 20%, SCHOTT Solar has joined IMEC's newly launched silicon photovoltaics industrial affiliation program (IIAP). The program is expected to see silicon solar cell manufacturers, equipment and material suppliers collaborate and share intellectual property, talent, risk and costs involved in the project.
With amorphous silicon-based thin film technologies under pressure to boost conversion efficiencies to remain competitive with both CdTe and crystalline-based technologies, Oerlikon Solar has claimed that its own pilot production line has now seen full-size ‘Micromorph’ modules (1.4 m2) produce 151 Watts initial power, equivalent to 11% percent initial power conversion efficiency. According to the company, this is a new efficiency record for the technology.
According to EuPD Research's estimations made in the new study: ‘The German PV Market Understand the Demand - Explore the Potential,’ two gigawatts of modules will be installed in Germany in 2009, restoring the country as the largest solar market in the world. Due to the strong private rooftop market in Germany, the market research firm believes that a total of 99GWp could be installed before saturation. The report has been issued to coincide with the largest solar event in the world, Intersolar 2009, being held this week in Munich, Germany.
According to Samuel Yang, CEO of JA Solar, the first quarter of 2009 was the ‘most challenging quarter’ the company has faced since its formation in 2005. Revenue in the first quarter of 2009 was US$33.9 million a 79.4% decline compared to US$143.3 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2008. The company made a loss of $20.9 million in the quarter due to lower than expected sales and higher operating costs.
