The Plastics Electronics Conference, co-located with SEMICON Europa since 2010, has been acquired by trade group, SEMI. The conference the committee has organized includes industry and academic leaders in the field of organic and inorganic large area electronics (OLAE will serve as a plastic electronics special interest group, guiding SEMI activities and services worldwide). SEMI said the conference and exhibition format would be extended to other regions in the future.
Billed as one of the largest PV power plants so far built in Thailand, a 7.5MW project, know as the Nakhon Ratchasima Solar Farm in Khorat region, northeastern Thailand has been completed by project developer Sonnedix using First Solar’s CdTe thin-film modules. The project is also the first in Thailand undertaken by Sonnedix with support of Assyce Fotovoltaica and Ch. Karnchang Group.
Cell efficiencies of higher than 18% using quasi-mono wafers have been claimed by Taiwan-based cell producer, Gintech Energy. To be displayed at PV EXPO 2012 in Japan in March, Gintech also said its optimized pattern design and process recipe has achieved cell efficiencies of 19% for its Douro Series monocrystalline solar cells and more than17% for its multicrystalline solar cells.
Intertek’s Lake Forest, California laboratory has been designated as a certified body testing laboratory for IEC 62108 with the company receiving accreditation by the IECEE to issue IEC Certification Body (CB) reports for CPV modules to IEC the standard. The certification enables Intertek to provide CPV manufacturers with a CB certification and test reports, which, it notes, can be used to obtain global certifications with IECEE member countries and participating certification bodies on top of receiving North American certification.
SPI Solar, US-based EPC services provider, has announced its third Greek venture, having acquired the necessary paperwork. Working alongside local partners SDL Solar and Global Energy Services, the installation is expected to be a 1MW fixed-ground-mount solar facility, located in Rhodope Prefecture, north-eastern Greece. The electricity will be purchased by Greek Public Power Corporation through a 20-year PPA.
The Bankruptcy Court overseeing Solyndra's insolvency has assigned Jones Lang LaSalle to undertake the sale of its manufacturing plant in Fremont, California. The 450,000-square-foot manufacturing facility was said to be designed to exceed California seismic standards and can be operating immediately following a seismic event, though not at the levels created by the current solar industry shakeout.
Exelon and First Solar have extended their deadline for initial funding of the DOE loan for the 230MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One (AVSR) project, in northern Los Angeles County, California. A revised construction permit has been approved but the delay could have meant First Solar repurchase the project from customer, Exelon today, February 24, 2012 as federal loan and loan guarantee would not be released in time of contract clauses kicking-in.
Ceres Technologies advised that it had bought technology and product assets from the CIGS system business that was operated by Veeco Instruments. The CIGS product line is expected to add to Ceres’ products and services for the renewable energy sector with production-ready CIGS deposition tool sets, including machines for Molybdenum back contact, CIGS absorber layer and transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers.
Apple has announced in its Facilities Report it is to construct the largest end user owned, onsite solar array in the US. The rumours surrounding the technology company’s renewable energy goals have been put to bed. The 20MW facility, in Maiden, North Carolina, will be installed on 100 acres of land, supplying 42 million kWh of renewable energy annually. Apple will also be building a fuel cell installation, powered by 100% biogas to provide more than 40 million kWh of baseload renewable energy annually.
Solar Frontier provided 10MW of its CIS thin-film solar modules to power the Mt. Komekura Solar Power Plant in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, which started operations on January 27. Shigeaki Kameda, president of Solar Frontier, was in attendance for the plant’s opening celebration.
