Dutch solar cell producer, Solland Solar has announced the development of a new photovoltaic solar cell design using the ‘Metal Wrap Through’ (MWT) method. The technique enables the removal of the traditional ‘bus bars’ from the cells front-side, increase the usable area and reduce shading, boosting cell efficiencies. The research was carried out in collaboration with ECN (Energy research Centre of the Netherlands).
LDK Solar has placed a new order with long-term CVD reactor supplier GT Solar, worth $32 million. The reactors will be used in LDK Solar’s manufacturing facilities in Xinyu City, China as it continues to add new capacity to meet market demand. LDK doubled wafer production in 2007, reaching nominal capacity of 400MW. At the beginning of the year, LDK Solar expected to reach a capacity of 800MW in 2008. However, this has been revised upwards at least twice since then and is now expected to reach 1.2GW by the end of 2008. The company has also recently said that it was sold-out through 2009.
To meet its previously stated capacity ramp, Taiwan based, Solartech Energy Corp has secured a five-year contract with LDK Solar for multicrystalline wafers that equates to 110MW supply per annum. The deal starts in 2009 and extends through 2013.
Suntech Power has signed a new seven-year polysilicon supply agreement with DC Chemical Co. Ltd., worth approximately $750 million from 2010 to 2016. In March, 2008, DC Chemical entered into its first polysilicon supply deal with Suntech, worth approximately $631 million with supply running from 2009 to 2016.
Due to the continued rapid growth of the photovoltaics industry, DuPont has said that it will more than double the production of its ‘Tedlar’ films, which are used in backsheet applications. DuPont anticipates that the PV market will grow by more than 50 percent per annum over the next few years and expects its sales in the sector could exceed $1 billion within the next five years.
SCHOTT Solar's new PV module and receiver production facility in Albuquerque, N.M., is to have bulk gases supplied by Air Products. The new 200,000 square foot facility was announced at the beginning of 2008, with production expected to start in the spring of 2009. Air Products is to supply liquid nitrogen, oxygen, argon and hydrogen to the facility under a long-term supply deal.
Ten-year veteran at BP Solar, Luis Torres has joined SunPower Corporation as Managing Director, Market Development Southern Europe, in a newly created role by SunPower. Torres will be responsible for working with public policy officials, industry colleagues and solar advocates to grow solar markets throughout southern Europe, a role similar to that when at BP Solar.
Enerpoint, MHH Solartechnik and SunConnex have agreed to purchase and distribute Advent Solar’s ‘Ventura’ solar modules in Europe to the tune of 250MW through 2013. The ‘Ventura’ technology from Advent was announced at the 2008 European Union Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, in Valencia, Spain.
Italian, high-grade (9N) polysilicon start-up, Silfab S.p.A., has secured a €30 million investment in the company from Sino-American Silicon Product Inc. (SAS), a Taiwanese manufacturer of polysilicon wafers for use in both photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. Silfab has also entered into a 500MT per annum polysilicon supply deal with SAS that will start in 2010 and last six-years.
Product Briefing Outline: Coveme SpA’s new ‘dyMat PYE’ backsheet material is used to prevent electrical hazards and to grant high vapour barrier, thus avoiding power loss during the expected lifetime of the solar module. Coveme, in co-operation with DuPont Teijin Films, has developed a high grade PET inner layer with a lifetime five times longer than traditional polyester. Traditional solutions are multiple layer backsheets with fluoropolymers on the air side, polyester (PET) in the middle, and a third layer towards the cell side. Most of the job is done by the polyester film that must be protected by an outer layer versus the air side.
