Solar Cells Info

Tokyo, May 28, 2008
Source: Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST19861520080529

Japanese trading house Itochu Corp said it has bought 10 percent of unlisted Norwegian solar power technology firm Scatec As for 1.3 billion yen ($12.4 million) to join development of solar facilities in Europe.  Itochu already holds a stake in Scatec’s group company Norsun, which is building a plant to produce monocrystalline silicon wafers used in solar cells. (more…)

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices, May 19, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080519/151942/

Sanyo Electric Co Ltd established the “Advanced Photovoltaics Development Center” to promote its development of thin film Si solar cells April 1, 2008.  Fusing its photovoltaic technologies with technologies in different areas, Sanyo aims to develop an innovative thin-film Si solar cell. Nikkei Microdevices interviewed Makoto Tanaka, who became president of the center, about the company’s strategy for technology development (interviewer: Motonobu Kawai). (more…)

Source: Nikkei Electronics Asia/TechOn, Jun 4, 2008
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080604/152831/

Hemlock Semiconductor Corp, a joint venture of Dow Corning Corp, Shin-Etsu Handotai Co Ltd and Mitsubishi Materials Corp, has begun production at its new polysilicon facility that will nearly double its output of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) to serve the needs of the semiconductor and fast-growing solar energy industries. (more…)

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices, May 27, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080527/152467/

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd will invest 300 billion won to increase the production of solar cells and modules from the annual output of 30MW to 330MW by 2009.  Hyundai Heavy Industries built the “Eumseong factory,” a solar cell plant with 30MW annual output, investing 34 billion won in February 2007. With this additional investment of 300 billion won, the company will enhance the annual output of the existing factory to 60MW and construct a new plant with an annual output capacity of 270MW. (more…)

by Mami Akasaka, Tech-On!, Jun 4, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080604/152849/

A consulting firm evaluated the technological competitiveness of Japanese companies involved in photovoltaic business and ranked Sharp, Canon and Sanyo as the top three.  Intellectual Property Bank Corp (IPB), a consulting firm specializing in intellectual property right, compiled the “applicant score ranking.” The “applicant score” is its proprietary indicator, which is designed to evaluate applicants’ patent strength based on the quality and number of patents filed. Sharp Corp, Canon Inc and Sanyo Electric Co Ltd were ranked first, second and third, respectively. (more…)

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices, Jun 6, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080606/152919/

Solar cell manufacturing in India is being established more rapidly than other devices. Several emerging manufacturers began volume production in 2007, while existing manufacturers are increasing output.  According to Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, an Indian research institute, solar cell production in India is expected to rise from 80MW per year in 2007 to 350MW in 2012 and 3GW in 2022 *1. In fact, however, solar cell production in India is likely to increase much faster than these forecasts.   [*1: “Solar Phtovoltaics in India: Status and Prospects” by Barua A., released at the 17th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference, 2007] (more…)

by Satoshi Ookubo, Nikkei Electronics, Jun 6, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080606/152962/

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp will release a lighting system consisting of LEDs and solar cells for factories by the end of 2009 at the earliest.  The lighting system reducess electrical costs by using sunlight and LEDs, which have a longer life than fluorescent lamps. With this system, lighting costs can be reduced by approximately 30%, according to Mitsubishi Chemical. (more…)

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices, June 5, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080605/152883/

Sharp Corp will release its “ND-191AV” polycrystalline Si solar cell module, which has a high module conversion efficiency of 14.4%, targeting Japanese houses. The number of bus bar electrodes was increased from two to three, and the widths of all the electrodes were reduced.  With the improvement in conversion efficiency, the module can be installed in a wider range of positions on roofs. Compared with the company’s existing products, the capacity of the roof module is 1.5 times larger on average. (more…)

Tel Aviv, Israel, June 5, 2008
Source: UPI.com
http://www.upi.com/Energy_Resources/2008/06/05/
Israel_OKs_solar_energy_tariffs/UPI-99921212722228/

Israel has expanded its support for solar energy.  The Public Utilities Authority recently announced that, starting in July, any person who installs a photovoltaic solar system on his or her property can sell the electricity produced to the national power grid, Globes reported. (more…)

Cyberjaya, June 2, 2008
Source: Bernama.com
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=336814

Germany’s Q-Cells AG, the world’s leading photo-voltaic company and largest manufacturer of solar cells, will invest RM5 billion in Malaysia to produce solar cells for the global market, its chief executive officer Anton Milner said Monday.  The investment, he said, comprised three phases of development, starting with the setting up of a manufacturing complex on a 150-hectare site in Selangor Science Park II in Bukit Raja, Dengkil, near here.   “We have three phases of development here. What we have foreseen up to now is an investment budget of RM5 billion and we hope to employ 800 to 900 people in the first phase,” he told reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony at the site. (more…)