Without the current handicap of polysilicon shortages, thin film CdTe PV manufacturer First Solar has revealed that it expects annual capacity to reach approximately 1 gigawatt by the end of 2009 with the expected full ramp of all four plants in Malaysia going to plan. Currently, First Solar has completed, slightly ahead of schedule, Plant1 in Malaysia with equipment installation and line qualificationongoing. Plant 1 is expected to ramp production in the second quarterof 2008.
A 27-year veteran of research in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Dr. Rommel Noufi’s appointment as Vice President of Research for SoloPower will see him head up the company’s research efforts in the field of CIGS solar cell technology.
Ascent Solar Technologies has purchased a manufacturing facility in Thornton, Colorado that will house several 25MW thin-film flexible solar module lines. The first 25MW production line is planned for completion by year-end 2009 and will be ramped to 100MW by 2011, the company said.
LDK Solar has reiterated that its Trichlorosilane (TCS) plant at itsXinyu, Jiangxi site remains on construction schedule as the BasicEngineering Phase (BEP) has been completed, which includes the detaileddrawings for the actual construction phase of the project.
Suniva, Inc. has secured $50 million in a Series B round of fundingthat will be used for the construction of a crystalline silicon solarcell plant in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Suniva has an exclusive license tothe patents and processes developed at UCEP over 15 years at theGeorgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence inPhotovoltaics (UCEP) by Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi (pictured).
Dr. Javier Berrios, co-founder of Tego, Inc., has been appointed to therole of Vice President of Engineering for solar technology company OPELInternational.
Suniva’s newest addition to the staff team is industry veteran Dr.Daniel Meier, who will head up the R&D section as Vice President. Bringing over 27 years of industry experience, he joins Suniva from theNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
SOLON AG’s recently renamed subsidiary SOLON S.p.A. has announced theestablishment of a new solar module production site in Carmignano diBrenta, Padova. With an annual capacity of 120MW, the company claimsthat the addition of the new site will bring the company’s total yieldto 150MW by the end of the year.
SunEdison’s solar energy operations development has seen theappointment of two new Senior Vice Presidents, the company announced.Jubran Whalan (pictured) is to oversee Business Development, while BobGrier has been appointed Senior VP of Engineering, Procurement andConstruction.
Dr. Immo Kötschau has joined centrotherm photovoltaics AG as Directorof Research and Development for the company’s new R&D center inBlaubeuren, Germany. He joins the company from the Hahn-MeitnerInstitute (HMI) in Berlin, where he worked on thin-film processdevelopment.
