Solar Cells Info

Los Gatos, CA, June 3, 2008
Source: Tigo Energy press release/Businesswire
http://www.tigoenergy.com/news.html

Tigo Energy, a solar company whose technology enables increased efficiency in commercial and residential solar installations, announced today it has raised $6 million in a round co-led by Matrix Partners and OVP Venture Partners.  “This investment will allow us to deliver lower cost of ownership and increased output power on solar installations, resulting in faster return on investment for our customers,” said Sam Arditi, co-founder and CEO of Tigo Energy. (more…)

by: Jennifer Kho. June 23, 2008
Source: GreetechMedia.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/solar-installers-race-for-sf-subsidies-1038.html

Just a week after San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officially signed a new incentive program into law, the race is on to take advantage of it.  The program, the largest municipal solar-incentive program in the United States, will provide rebates of $3,000 to $6,000 for residential solar installations and up to $10,000 for commercial installations when it takes effect July 1. With the incentives capped at $3 million total for both residential and commercial installations, plus an additional $1.5 million in incentives specifically for solar projects at low-income and affordable housing approved last week, San Francisco could subsidize between 383 and 1,500 installations, depending on the size of each of the rebates. (more…)

Thin-film solar cells are cheaper than traditional solar panels, such as those made of polycrystalline silicon, but the yield is lower. However, the combination of these properties is promising according to the Thin-Film Future conference organized recently by SolarPlaza in Munich. An impression of the heavily attended gathering.
By: Rijkert Knoppers
Source: InvesterIdeas.com
http://renewableenergystocks.com/News/r062408c.asp

A solar installation over 6,000 m2 has been built in a field near to the German town of Waltenhofen. Its total power is 0.4 MW. Seven kilometers of electrical cable is required to transport the power generated by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry thin-film solar panels. Another solar power plant has been produced next to this field in the same amount of space, but in this case using crystalline silicon solar panels. At 0.7 MV, the power from this plant is almost twice as much as that from the other installation. (more…)

by Anne Moore Odell, June 23, 2008
Source: Social Funds.com
http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2521.html

More investors are seeing the benefits of buying solar stocks, whether to diversify portfolios or to champion an energy movement.  Solar energy is clean energy’s rising star, leading the pack in renewable energy investments last year. The Solar Energy Industries Association ( SEIA) reports that 254 megawatts of photovoltaic and concentrating solar power were installed in 2007. The solar energy sector has grown substantially over the past 25 years. At the same time, some investors have also seen substantial growth in their solar-related investments.  “Solar energy equipment can be deployed to create power in several ways, thus one can diversify investment within the sector,” said Monique Hanis, director of communications at SEIA. (more…)

American Capital Energy to Install Solar Photo Voltaic System at ACL’s 240,000 Sq. Ft. Elizabeth, NJ, Facility
Elizabeth, NJ, and North Chelmsford, MA, June 24, 2008
Source: MarketWire
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=872204

Atlantic Central Logistics, (ACL) a leading asset-based logistics company, today announced that a 700-kilowatt (kW) DC solar photovoltaic (PV) system will be installed by North Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based American Capital Energy on the roof of ACL’s Elizabeth, NJ, headquarters.  Established in 1980, Atlantic Central Logistics has become a leading provider of supply chain management, distribution, warehousing, driver leasing, and local cartage to the freight forwarder within the transportation industry. Atlantic Central operates in nine cities throughout the US. (more…)

by Busines Standard Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad June 19, 2008
Source: Business Standard
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu1&subLeft=1&autono=326450

Solar Semiconductor (SS), a Hyderabad-based manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) modules, on Wednesday entered into a strategic partnership with TUV Rheinland India Limited for certifying safety and quality of the former’s products, systems and services. Disclosing this here, SS vice-president Ravi Surapaneni said the PV industry was changing rapidly in terms of the technology and materials used and a certification would ensure that quality was not compromised. TUV Rheinland would inspect SS’ plant at the Fab City annually to check manufacturing processes and quality of solar panels and related products. (more…)

by BV Mahalakshmi, Hyderabad, June 24, 2008
Source: The Financial Express
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Ramky-group-all-set-for-Rs-1-000-cr-solar-foray/326716/

The Rs 1,700-crore Ramky group, a multi-disciplinary company focussing on construction, infrastructure development, waste management, design-build-own-operate projects, real estate, infrastructure consultancy, finance and investment, is all set to venture into manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Having a market cap of $3 billion, the company would be investing about Rs 1,000 crore for the proposed solar cell plant, to come up at the Fab City, Hyderabad.  Interestinlgy, the Fab City has attracted over 16 solar manufacturing Companies, located on over 1,200 acres, and will soon be adding three more Companies in the next few months. The investment by these three new Companies is expected to generate about $2 billion. (more…)

San Francisco, CA and Wuxi, China, June 24, 2008
Source: Suntech Power Holdings Inc, press release /PRNewswire
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-24-2008/0004837584

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, and WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH (“WACKER SCHOTT”), a joint venture of Wacker Chemie AG and SCHOTT Solar GmbH, today announced they have signed a long term silicon wafer supply agreement. Under the terms of the supply agreement, WACKER SCHOTT will supply Suntech specified annual volumes of silicon wafers with a total volume of approximately 220MW over the course of the contract. (more…)

Osaka, June 23, 2008
Source: Japan’s Corporate News Network
http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=18763

Sakai City, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (Kansai Electric), and Sharp Corporation today agreed to cooperate on the Sakai City Waterfront Mega Solar Power Generation Plan in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.  Under the plan, mega solar power generation is scheduled for the following two locations:
(1) Sakai No. 7-3 District Solar Power Generation Plant (tentative name), Output: Approx. 10 MW (10,000 kW)
(2) Sakai Manufacturing Complex Solar Power Generation Facilities (tentative name), Output: Approx. 9 MW (9,000 kW) to start, with maximum of 18 MW (18,000 kW). (more…)

Source: Deutsche Welle-World.de / 22 June 2008
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3430319,00.html

A solar power plant described by its operators as the biggest in the world began generating electricity at the site of a former East German air base on Sunday, June 22, 2008. The Waldpolenz Solar Park is built on a surface area equivalent to 200 soccer fields, the solar park will be capable of feeding 40 megawatts into the power grid when fully operational in 2009.  In the start-up phase, the 130-million-euro ($201 million) plant it will have a capacity of 24 megawatts, according to the Juwi group, which operates the installation. (more…)