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.
EMCORE Corporation has announced that its photovoltaics revenueincreased 63 percent for the third quarter of fiscal 2007 to $16.9million compared to $10.4 million reported last year. This is anincrease of 24 percent Q-on-Q.
Amtech Systems has acquired R2D Ingenierie (R2D), a solar cell andsemiconductor automation equipment manufacturing company located inMontpellier, France for $6.1 million.
Solar module manufacturer SOLON AG has added to its executive team withthe appointment of Dr. Gero Wiese as COO, bringing the number ofcompany directors to three. Company CEO Thomas Krupke and CTO Dr. LarsPodlowski make up the other member of the company’s board.
Trina Solar has announced two new executive appointments to its team.Anthony Chia joins the company as Vice President of quality, while DaveSeburn has been named as Vice President of polysilicon.
Trina Solar, a fully integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaicproducts, is to supply EniPower of Italy with 1MW of PV modules. Thesigned deal also allows for a further 5MWs to be supplied during thecontract period, the length of which was not disclosed.
Solar Semiconductor, a solar photovoltaic module producer, has awardedersol Solar Energy AG a contract worth $170 million to supply 156mmmono and multi-crystalline solar cells. These solar cells will be usedfor solar module production in Solar Semiconductor’s new PV modulemanufacturing plant in Hyderabad, India.
centrotherm photovoltaics AG, supplier of turnkey production lines and key equipment such as PECVD systems and diffusion furnaces, is to proceed with an initial public offering with a listing on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the company said. A date has not been set for the IPO.
