Solar Cells Info

by Nuying Huang, Taichung; Esther Lam
Source: DIGITIMES, 22 May 2008
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20080521PD213.html

NexPower Technology, a thin-film solar cell company co-established by Unimicron Technology and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), today (May 21) hosted the opening ceremony for its plant in central Taiwan. Company executives expressed confidence that the company will start to earn profits from 2009 as present capacity has already been fully booked.
(more…)

Source: Reuters / Boston Globe, May 28, 2008
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2008/05/evergreen_solar_11.html

Evergreen Solar Inc., of Marlborough, expects to be profitable in the first quarter of 2009 and is considering expanding into Asia under a plan to dramatically boost capacity, its chief executive, Richard Feldt, said today.  The company last month reported a first-quarter net loss of $25,000, or break-even on a per share basis, compared with a loss of $6.2 million, or 9 cents per share, a year earlier. (more…)

Source: AzoNano.com/ May 27, 2008
http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=6476

Signet Solar, a manufacturer of silicon thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, today, announced the fabrication of the industry’s first ever Gen 8.5 (5.7 m2) silicon thin film solar PV module at its new factory near Dresden, Germany in a record setting ten months from the start of construction. After finishing construction of the 200,000 square foot production facility in only seven months, Signet Solar completed installation of equipment and started initial fabrication in less than three months. (more…)

Yukiko Kanou, Nikkei Electronics /May 27, 2008
Source: Tech-On
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080527/152443/

A Japanese institute and firms prototyped a foliage plant-like solar cell module by using organic thin-film solar cells.  A leaf-like module featuring bright green solar cells was developed by National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Mitsubishi Corp and Tokki Corp. (more…)

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices /May 30, 2008
Source: Tech-On
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080530/152672/

Sharp Corp exhibited a stand-alone photovoltaic power system composed of a solar-cell module and a storage battery at African Fair 2008, which is now taking place in Yokohama.  Targeting the off-grid areas such as in Africa, the company aims to commercialize the system in 2010. In order to spread the use of the system, it is necessary to establish new business models such as leasing, unlike the current marketing style, which relies on sales of the product, the company said. (more…)

Plainview, New York USA, May 22, 2008
Source: Veeco Instruments Inc, press release
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=111487&p=NewsArticle&id=1150087

Veeco Instruments Inc., announced that it has extended its thin film solar equipment product line with the acquisition of Mill Lane Engineering, a privately held manufacturer of web coating systems for flexible solar panels. Mill Lane is based in Lowell, MA and has approximately 20 employees. The purchase price was $11 million, paid at closing, plus potential additional payments based upon the satisfaction of specific future conditions, including certain order, sales and profit levels. Mill Lane has an existing multi-unit order for web coating systems from a leading manufacturer of thin film copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. (more…)

As the solar industry prepares for solar-panels production to surpass silicon demand, thin-film companies are expected to endure less hardship, as long as they can actually deliver products.
by: Rachel Barron, May 28, 2008
Source: GreenTechMedia.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/thin-film-to-survive-solar-shakeout-943.html

Thin-film solar manufacturers are prepared to endure hard times better than traditional solar companies in the next few years, Stephen O’Rourke, managing director for Deutsche Bank Securities, said at a Greentech Media conference in Massachusetts on Wednesday.  While not everyone agrees, a number of analysts have been predicting a solar-industry shakeout starting anywhere from this year to five years from now as the silicon shortage ends and the solar industry finds itself with an oversupply of panels (see Solar Sector Heading for a Shakeout, Silicon Still a Hot Topic at Photon and Solar Margins About to Shrink?). (more…)

Solar Panels Will Be Supplied from its Devens Facility
Marlboro, MA, May 22, 2008
Source: Evergreen Solar press release/ Businesswire
http://www.evergreensolar.com/app/en/investors/

Evergreen Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLR), a manufacturer of solar power panels with its proprietary, low-cost String Ribbon(TM) wafer technology, announced it has signed two new long-term sales contracts. Yesterday, Evergreen Solar and German-based Ralos Vertriebs GmbH signed an agreement valued at approximately $750 million for panel deliveries beginning in 2008 and extending through 2013. Combined with another agreement signed last week with a United States-based installer, Evergreen has new contractual backlog of approximately $1 billion. (more…)

Source: EDN, May 30,  2008
http://www.edn.com/blog/450000245/post/250027425.html

Highlighting the news from Solar City this week was the announcement that Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Masdar PV plans to invest more than $2 billion in thin-film photovoltaic solar technology in a three-phased strategy to produce thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules, and inked a deal (possibly $600 million) with Applied Materials for three of its SunFab thin film lines. (more…)

San Diego, CA, May 27, 2008

Source: BusinessWire press release

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080527005885&newsLang=en
Press Conference to take Place on Thursday, June 5th in Mexicali
Up to $3.5 Billion Company Complex to be in 10,000 Acre, World-Class Science and Technology Park on U.S.-Mexican Border

Silicon Border Science Park, located in Mexicali, the capital city of Baja California, Mexico, has been selected by Q-Cells, the world’s largest solar cell manufacturer, for its next major expansion. Q-Cells’ primary manufacturing facility is located in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. The company chose Silicon Border Science Park for its American manufacturing site because of its strategic location and business-friendly environment.
(more…)