Solar Cells Info

Commercial Times, September 18, 2008/ Adam Hwang
Source: DIGITIMES, 18 September 2008
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080918PB201.html

Solargiga Energy, a China subsidiary of Taiwan-based silicon wafer maker Wafer Works, has signed with Hoku Materials, a Hawaii-based supplier of polycrystalline silicon material, to extend its production of solar cells from monocrystalline models to polycrystalline ones, according to the Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times (CT). (more…)

by Nuying Huang, Taipei; Adam Hwang
Source: DIGITIMES, 24 September 2008
http://digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20080923PD217.html

Solartech Energy, a Taiwan-based producer of crystalline silicon solar cells, is expanding its production capacity through the construction of a new factory in northern Taiwan. Total annual capacity is to increase from the current 60MWp at its existing factory located elsewhere in northern Taiwan to 1,200MWp in 2013, according to company chairman KS Liu.  Solartech is setting up the new factory at a 36,360 square meter site, Liu indicated. Solartech will extend its production from only crystalline silicon solar cells to include high-concentration solar cells produced at the new factory, Liu said. (more…)

Source: Neo Solar Power Press Release, August 19, 2008
http://www.neosolarpower.com/

Neo Solar Power (NSP, 3576 TT), a leading manufacturer of high quality solar cells, and Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG (Centrotherm), a global dominant solar equipment provider, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on research and development collaboration to significantly improve solar cell efficiency targeting at over 20% for mass production. This collaboration project, 20+ solar cell project, aims to develop through production process improvement and eventually a re-engineering on device structure of conventional solar cells. The 20+ solar cell project will emphasize on improvement of conventional solar cell through better spectral response and effective light trapping; and innovative device structure design to substantially raise cell efficiency from current level. Through efficiency advancement, both partners expect to benefit from value created on manufacturing cost reduction and gross profit upturn in solar cell production. (more…)

Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, September 25, 2008
Source: Neo Solar Power Press Release

Neo Solar Power, a leading manufacturer of high quality solar cells, announced today it sealed a 7-year long-term wafer supply contract with REC ScanWafer AS, the world’s largest manufacturer of multicrystalline silicon wafers. Under the contract, REC will provide NSP solar wafers worth of US$442 million (NT$13 billion) for the period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2015. Adding REC to its well diversified wafer supplier base, NSP expects to further lower supply concentration risk. (more…)

by Gina Roos, Green SupplyLine, Taipei, Taiwan, Sept 18, 2008
Source: EETimes.com
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210602697

Taiwan’s manufacturers of solar cells reported revenues climbed by nearly 70 percent in the first half of 2008, compared to the same period a year ago, due to strong demand from European countries including Spain and Germany, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Six of the solar cell makers listed on Taiwan’s stock exchange reported first half 2008 revenues of NT$35.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) compared with NT$21 billion in the same period a year ago. These companies include Motech Industrial Inc., Gintech Energy Corp., E-Ton Solar Tech, Sino-American Silicon Products Inc., Sinonar Corp. and Green Energy Technology. Motech, Gintech and E-Ton are among the world’s ten largest solar cell makers by revenues. (more…)

Ontario, CA and San Jose, CA, Sept 24, 2008
Source: PRNewswire/SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=336440

Toyota and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) , a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced the completion of the largest single-roof solar power installation in North America. The 2.3-megawatt SunPower system will begin operation in early October at Toyota’s North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) in Ontario, Calif.

Toyota expects the solar installation will provide nearly 60 percent of the total electricity needs for the 760,000-square foot NAPCC. The system covers more than 242,000 square feet of the NAPCC’s roof and includes 10,417 solar modules, enough to cover more than four football fields. It is expected to avoid about 6.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is the equivalent to the emissions from the energy use of approximately 255 homes in a year. (more…)

Solar Projects Would Supply Enough Renewable Energy Equivalent to the Energy Needs of 239,000 Californian Homes
San Franscisco, CA., Aug 14, 2008
Source: SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=328221

Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced it has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts for a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. This significant commitment to photovoltaic technology will deliver cumulatively 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually. This would be equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve approximately 239,000 residential homes each year. PG&E entered into an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of OptiSolar Inc., for 550 MW of thin-film PV solar power. The utility also signed a contract with High Plains Ranch II, LLC, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), for 250 MW of high-efficiency PV solar power. (more…)

New york, September 12, 2008
Source: Associated press/CNNMoney.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/d3bfc4e2089883a8a96af9b6c551e3b4.htm

LDK Solar Co. Ltd. said Friday it has signed an 11-year agreement with Q-Cells AG of Germany to process solar-grade silicon into wafers. LDK, based in Xinyu City, China, said it will process at least 20,000 metric tons of solar grade silicon provided by Q-Cells between 2008 and 2018 with an option to process an additional 21,000 metric tons in the same decade. (more…)

San Francisco, CA and Wuxi, China, Sept 16, 2008
Source: Suntech Power Holdings, Co. Ltd, press release
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/
suntech-announces-groundbreaking-of-pv-cell-production-facility-in-yangzhou-china,542086.shtml

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, today announced the groundbreaking of a new PV cell production facility in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China. Suntech intends to complete the facility with a PV cell production capacity of
300MW by the end of 2009. The new production site will facilitate Suntech’s capacity expansion plans to reach 1.4GW by year end 2009 and 2GW by year end 2010. (more…)

Patented Low Cost Process Key to Efficiency Innovation
Atlanta, Ga. – September 16, 2008
Source: Suniva Inc, press release
http://www.suniva.com/

Suniva Inc., a manufacturer of high value crystalline silicon solar cells, today announced that its R&D team has developed several silicon solar cells in its lab with over 20% conversion efficiencies using a patented combination of simple cell designs and screen printing technologies. These high efficiency milestones have been verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s premier laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The efficiency achievement closely follows Suniva’s two recent customer agreements with Germany’s Solon AG and India’s Titan Eergy Systems Ltd, together worth approximately USD $1 billion. (more…)