Solar Cells Info

Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Electronics, Feb 5, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080205/146965/

Applied Materials’ “SunFab” glass-to-module total production line for thin film solar modules.  Moser Baer India Ltd of India has its optical disc and solar cell manufacturing center in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Deli.   Other companies including LG Electronics of Korea and Franco-Italian STMicroelectronics also have their manufacturing facilities around it. Moser Baer’s manufacturing center is currently drawing interest from solar cell-related manufacturers across the world.
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Mark LaPedus, EE Times,
San Jose, CA, Jan 28, 2008
Source: EETimes.com
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205920095

Amid a major expansion program, Global Solar Energy Inc. (GSE) claims to have achieved a breakthrough for solar cells based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film technology.  GSE (Tucson, Ariz.) said that its CIGS-based, thin-film cells have achieved an average of 10 percent efficiency “on a flexible, lightweight substrate over several production runs.” Starting in 2007, the company’s solar cells achieved an average efficiency of about 9 percent.
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Source: ScienceDaily/Jan. 31, 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130194130.htm

Newly designed solar cells can be screen-printed in a wide array of colors and patterns to allow them to be attractively incorporated into building design. The solar cells also can be used on windows, providing shading from glare while generating electricity.

The key component of the new modules is an organic dye which in combination with nanoparticles converts sunlight into electricity. Due to the small size of the nanoparticles, the modules are semi-transparent. This aspect makes them well suited for façade integration. The new solar cells are being developed by members of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, who will be presenting their new technology in Tokyo at Nanotech 2008, the world’s largest trade fair for nanotechnology.
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Santa Clara, CA, Jan 31, 2008
Source: Applied Materials Inc. press release /BusinessWire
http://www.appliedmaterials.com/news/pr2008.html?menuID=6

Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that it has acquired Baccini S.p.A., a leading supplier of automated metallization and test systems for manufacturing crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) cells. Under the terms of the agreement, Applied paid €225 million (or approximately US$334 million) in cash for all of the outstanding shares of Baccini.
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by Lisa Zyga, February 08, 2008
Source: Inventorspot.com
http://inventorspot.com/articles/10_gigantic_solarpowered_project_10559

Solar cell efficiencies are improving, and a number of solar-powered projects are popping up around the world. Here are a few highlights, including single buildings and large solar plants. Hopefully, their successors will be even bigger and better…
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By Tyler Hamilton, February 06, 2008
Source:MIT Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/20163/

Researchers at McMaster University, in Ontario, say that they have grown light-absorbing nanowires made of high-performance photovoltaic materials on thin but highly durable carbon-nanotube fabric. They’ve also harvested similar nanowires from reusable substrates and embedded the tiny particles in flexible polyester film. Both approaches, they argue, could lead to solar cells that are both flexible and cheaper than today’s photovoltaics.
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Frankfurt, Feb 5, 2008
Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews
/idUSL0555383620080205

German solar cell maker Q-Cells (QCEG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) is satisfied with last year’s performance and is upbeat about its development in 2008, Q-Cells’ chief executive told German magazine Focus Money in an interview. “I’m very pleased with the way 2007 went, not only in terms of sales and earnings, but also on a technological basis,” Anton Milner was quoted as saying by Focus Money. (more…)

Tokyo, February 5, 2008
Source: Asahi Glass Co. press release
http://www.agc.co.jp/english/news/2008/0205e_3.pdf

Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (Head office: Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Kadomatsu) has decided to enhance glass production facilities for solar cells. Spending about 13 billion yen in total, Asahi Glass will establish a new furnace for the cover glass of solar cells (production capacity: 240 tons/day; 7 million m²/year) and an AR coating line at subsidiary AGC Flat Glass (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (Head office: Suzhou, Jiangsu, China), as well as
set up an additional TCO coating line (production capacity: 6 million m²/year) at the Aichi plant (Taketoyo-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi Prefecture). The cover glass production facility is expected to start mass production in the
second quarter 2009 and the TCO coating line in the fourth quarter 2008.
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Washington, February 8, 2008
Source: Thaindiannews.com
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/
louis-palmers-solar-taxi-arrives-down-under_10016762.html

Swiss adventurer Louis Palmers Solar Taxi has made its way to Australian capital Canberra.  Palmer has travelled over 15923 kilometres in his custom made solar-powered car since he started his around the world tour in July last year to raise awareness about climate change.  The adventurer whose trip has been a momentous one, from royal passengers, vehicle breakdowns and rainy days aims to demonstrate what one can do to prevent global warming. (more…)

Posted by Martin LaMonica, Feb 5, 2008
Source: CNet:news.com
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9865042-54.html?tag=newsmap

Atlanta-based Suniva said on Tuesday that it has raised $50 million to commercialize its solar-cell technology, which it says will be as cheap as conventional electricity. Investors are New Enterprise Associations and H.I.G. Ventures, according to the company’s Web site. (more…)