Solar Cells Info

Bangalore, April 7, 2008
Source: Thaindian.com
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/indian-solar-firm-bags-us-award-for-clean-energy_10035500.html

Solar power systems provider Orb Energy has bagged $1 million award from the US State Department for developing and deploying clean energy technologies, the company said here late Monday. The city-based Orb manufactures a wide range of solar energy solutions for the Indian market, with a view to making solar energy affordable, accessible and hassle-free to residential and commercial customers as an alternative energy. (more…)

Source: Space Energy Corp./08 Apr 2008
http://www.earthtimes.org/

Space Energy Corporation (SEC), Japan, has signed a contract with Hitachi, Ltd., whereby Hitachi sells its bi-facial photovoltaic solar cell and module manufacturing facility to SEC, and provides related technology support to SEC. The agreement consists of the sale of Hitachi’s facilities and transfer of its technology know-how to SEC. With this technological support, SEC, one of major manufacturers of mono-crystal wafers in Japan, will diversify their business into the cell and module manufacturing. (more…)

Apr 4, 2008 /Nikkei Electronics Asia
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080403/149978/

LDK Solar Co Ltd has signed a ten-year contract which is a blend of “take-or-pay” linked with market-based pricing to supply multicrystalline solar wafers to India-based  Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd (MBPV), a subsidiary of Moser Baer India Ltd (MBI).  Under the terms of the agreement, LDK Solar will deliver 640MW of multicrystalline solar wafers to MBPV over a ten-year period commencing in mid-2008 through 2017. MBPV will make a suitable advance payment reflecting the contract value to LDK Solar. (more…)

Nikkei Electronics Asia /Apr 11, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080411/150342/

Emcore Corp announced that it has agreed to supply concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems to XinAo Group in China. The program will start with the delivery of a 50kW CPV system to be installed in Langfang, China. The system will be used for test and evaluation purposes. Once the expected reliability and performance metrics have been demonstrated, XinAo plans to install CPV systems to provide electric power for its coal gasification project, which is estimated to have a requirement of 60MW of power. XinAo believes that Emcore’s CPV technology will provide a cost-effective solution for its energy needs.  In addition, XinAo intends to build a manufacturing plant in China, jointly owned by Emcore, to manufacture CPV systems designed and certified by Emcore for the Chinese market. (more…)

By Leanne Mezrani / 3 April 2008
source: CRN Australia
http://www.crn.com.au/News/73195,green-it-prompts-sharp-to-ramp-up-solar-panel-production.aspx

Sharp has announced plans to more than double the volume of solar cells it produces in coming years. According to Sharp, the company is predicted to increase its solar cell production to 1.7 gigawatts by 2010, an increase of 990 megawatts. The hype around Green IT and increased investment by organisations in environmentally friendly technologies prompted Sharp to invest in its solar cell sector, claimed the vendor.
(more…)

Submits proposal to Govt; investment at Rs 30,000 cr  – Kamal Narang
New Delhi, April 3, 2008
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/04/04/stories/2008040452360100.htm

Marking the largest-ever project under the new semiconductor policy, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has approached the Government with plans to set up a semiconductor wafer fabrication plant and solar PV module unit, at a total outlay of over Rs 30,000 crore.  With this, the Government has now received a cumulative investment commitment of almost Rs 63,000 crore from six companies, under the scheme to promote semiconductor fabs and other micro and nano technology units. (more…)

An ambitious cross-subsidy scheme has given rise to a new industry
Source: The Economist  /Apr 3rd 2008 7ERFURT AND WOLFEN
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10961890

Q-CELLS, based in Wolfen, just north of Leipzig, is the world’s biggest maker of the photovoltaic cells used in solar panels. It overtook Sharp of Japan last year and announced big jumps in sales (up 59%) and profits (up 69%) on March 27th. Germany, which is not known for being sunny, seems an unusual place to find this industry leader. But the country leads the world in its installed capacity of renewable energy sources (see chart), and is the third-biggest producer of solar panels, after China and Japan. (more…)

Berlin, February 26, 2008
Source. Solon AG press release

The Berlin-based firm SOLON AG für Solartechnik (ISIN DE0007471195) today published its preliminary results for 2007. They reveal that the company grew strongly once more last year, and it produced solar modules and power generation systems with a total output of 118 megawatts (2006: 84 megawatts). Consolidated revenue rose by 45 percent to EUR 503 million (2006: EUR 346.4 million), exceeding its revenue forecast for 2007, which was revised upward last November. EBITDA increased by 39 percent to EUR 43 million (2006: EUR 30.9 million). Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) totaled EUR 35 million, a year-on-year rise of 41 percent (2006: EUR 24.8 million). (more…)

Berlin, April 15, 2008
Source: Solon AG press release
http://www.solonag.com/
http://www.asp-center.de/irportal/news_list_live.jsp?lang=ENGLISCH

SOLON AG, headquartered in Berlin and one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solar modules and photovoltaic systems, has sold several large-scale power plants in Spain to expand on the Company’s already strong position in the Spanish market.  The solar power plants were developed and implemented by SOLON Solar Investments GmbH, Freiburg, Germany, a SOLON subsidiary that specializes in planning large-scale power plant projects for financial investors. (more…)

By Mikako Nakajima and Pavel Alpeyev, Tokyo, April 8, 2008
Source: Bloomberg -Japan
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aScvYXNPyjFk&refer=japan

Sumco Corp., the world’s second- largest maker of silicon wafers, expects sales of the material used to make solar power cells to gain 11-fold in the next seven years as customers including Sharp Corp. boost production. Sales of solar-cell wafers will rise to 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2015, from 17.8 billion yen last fiscal year, President Kenjiro Shigematsu said in an interview with Bloomberg Television broadcast today. The company’s annual output of the wafers will rise to 1,010 megawatts in the period, from 105 megawatts at present, he said.
(more…)