Wacker Chemie AG and SCHOTT AG have laid the cornerstone for a newsilicon solar wafer manufacturing facility of their joint ventureWACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH in Jena, Germany. Stage one will cost €50million with capacity expected to be ramped to 100MW by the end of2008. Manufacturing equipment will be installed in a two-storeybuilding with a floorspace of over 7,500m2.
The SMTA’s (Surface Mount Technology Association) Excellence inInternational Leadership Award has been conferred on Rick Short,Corporate Communications Director for Indium Corp. Mr. Short’sachievements in and contributions to the solar industry were recognizedby the award, which is given out on an annual basis to deservingrecipients.
Oerlikon Solar’s sales efforts are to be led by Chris Smith, formerlyof Applied Materials, who has been named as head of Sales and CustomerSupport for the thin-film solar equipment manufacturer. Smith brings20 years of management and sales experience to the role, 12 of whichwere spent with Applied Materials.
Product Briefing Outline:Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. recently launched a new productline of Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) crucibles, heaters and coatingsto consider for the enhancement of the production of CIGS (copper,indium, gallium, selinide) solar cells.
Barry Honig, a well-known venture capital investor and advisor, hasjoined the newly-established Octillion Advisory Board, announcedNicholas Cucinelli, President and CEO. Mr. Honig, whose main areas ofexpertise are corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, hasassisted many companies in going public and with listings on NASDAQ
Konarka Technologies has expanded its license agreement with DuPontDisplays to cover patents and other IP initially developed by Dr. AlanHeeger, Chief Scientist, co-founder and Director of Konarka as well asrelated IP in respect to OLED display technology. Konarka hasstrengthened its position specifically in the area by obtaining solelicensee and sublicense in advanced photovoltaic polymers that thecompany is developing under its ‘Power Plastic’ product name.
SiC Processing AG, a specialist in the recycling and supply of solarwafer slurries, has completed a new round of funding lead by zoukventures to the tune of €53 million. The deal is being touted as one ofthe largest Cleantech growth deals in Europe in 2007.
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., of which United Solar Ovonic is awholly-owned subsidiary, has announced company Chairman Robert C.Stempel’s (pictured) intention to retire from the role at the end ofthe year. His retirement will be made effective at the company’s annualstockholders’ meeting on December 11th.
IMEC has claimed a breakthrough in crystalline Sisolar cell efficiencies that have reached an efficiency of 17.4 percentwith the potential to scale to efficiencies above 20 percent with adecrease in cell thicknesses, according to the R&D centre based inLeuven, Belgium. The breakthrough comes from several years of researchinto a new cell concept dubbed ‘i-PERC’ (Passivated Emitter and RearCell). The PERC technology was not previously applicable to volumeproduction solar cell applications; however the ‘i’ addition denotes‘industrial’ use.
Innovalight has raised $28 million in new capital in a series C roundthat will enable the company to move to a 30,000 square footmanufacturing facility in Silicon Valley in advance of plans to startvolume production of its novel silicon ink-based printed flexiblethin-film solar cell technology.
