Industry News
Industry News— thin-film research possibilities
continued from page 5
Suntech installs innovative solar
Surrey NanoSystems is extending the
array at Caltech
possibilities of research into thin film
A core prerequisite for the submission
Suntech Power has completed a 238 kWp
deposition following a sputtering tool
of the offer is the complete separation of
solar array for the California Institute of
order from the Low Dimensional Systems
Opel from the GM Group and a compen-
Technology. The system was designed and
Laboratory of Romania’s National Institute
sation payment of 40,000 EUR per Ger-
installed by Suntech Energy Solutions, a
of Materials Physics (NIMP) in Magurele.
man job (totaling 1 billion EUR).
wholly owned subsidiary of Suntech Power
NIMP’s specification calls an exceptional
www.solarworld.de
Holdings Co., Ltd., and utilized an innova-
range of instrumentation to be fitted to the
tive space frame that accommodated more
ultra-high vacuum Gamma sputtering tool,
Solar Thin Films to acquire Algatec
modules to maximize solar energy produc-
including an ellipsometer and an integrat-
Solar AG
tion. This also resulted in more shading
ed low-energy electron diffraction (LEED)
Solar Thin Films, Inc., entered into a share
for cars on the top deck of the parking
system. These facilities will provide real-
exchange agreement to acquire Algatec So-
structure where the array is located. The
time monitoring of thin film deposition
lar AG, a German company that produces
system will produce approximately 320,000
that will greatly increase the efficiency and
and markets metallurgic silicon crystalline
kilowatt hours in its first year of operation.
productivity of the lab’s research into new
solar panels or modules. Algatec currently
www.suntech-power.com
nano-structured materials and correspond-
has a backlog of contracted-for orders for
ing structures — with a wide range of
crystalline photovoltaic solar modules of
German firm forms Indian JV for
potential applications. NIMP placed the
approximately 92 MW in 2009. Consum-
solar energy order with Surrey NanoSystems because of
mation of the acquisition of Algatec is sub-
German solar technology firm Manz the flexibility and purity of the company’s
ject to a number of conditions, including
Automation has formed a joint venture Gamma sputtering tool, and because the
consummation of the Algatec Financing
with Delhi-based Technicom-Chemie for company was willing to provide a fully
by March 31, 2009 on terms satisfactory to
promoting generation of sun-based power integrated solution to the lab’s unusual
the Algatec management and Solar Thin
in India. The joint venture company, Manz specification.
www.surreynanosystems.com,
Films.
www.solarthinfilms.com
Automation India Pvt Ltd, will market
www.infim.ro
high technology solar energy equipment
UK to offer Solar incentives by 2010
and provide technical support for generat-
IFC Invests in Chinese thin film
The United Kingdom will have two years
ing power through the renewable and clean
start-up
to formulate an incentive program that
means.
www.manz-automation.com
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group,
pays a premium for renewable energy
is investing in ENN Solar Energy Co
to promote an emerging industry while
Avo Photonics expands engineering
Ltd, part of China’s XinAo Group, in an
cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The
team effort to help drive down global prices for
government will come up with policies to
Todd Rixman recently joined Avo solar-generated electricity. The financing
carry out a recently passed energy bill that
Photonics as technical manager. Rixman will include a US $45 million loan for its
will create the renewable energy incentives
has over 14 years of experience in mechani- own account, additional loans syndicated
program, which is often called feed-in
cal design and photonics packaging. Prior from commercial banks and other lenders
tariff. The program is scheduled to begin
to joining Avo Photonics, he led programs of up to $76 million, and the purchase of
in 2010. Feed-in tariffs have played a key
from concept through production and an IFC stake in ENN Energy for up to $15
role in solar energy boom worldwide.
performed opto-mechanical design at million. The project is expected to produce
Solar equipment makers and power plant
Princeton Lightwave, JDSU, and Kulicke about 60 megawatts of thin-film modules
developers look for such incentives that
& Soffa Industries. Rixman is a gradu- annually. Equipment installation is in its
sometimes draw criticism for supporting an
ate of Penn State with both BS and MS process, with the first commercial produc-
industry at the expense of consumers.
degrees in mechanical engineering. tion scheduled for second quarter of 2009.
www.avophotonics.com www.ennsolar.com
EMPE chooses SolFocus CPV
technology
Unique sputtering tool extends Blue Square Energy announces 14
SolFocus, a provider of concentrator
photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy solutions,
signed a US $103 million agreement with
EMPE Solar to install over 10 MW of CPV
solar energy projects in several sites across
southern Spain by the end of 2010. The
project will be the largest deployment of
CPV technology in Europe, and will be
capable of meeting the domestic energy
requirements for a city of approximately
40,000 residents. The SolFocus-EMPE deal
comes after SolFocus recently completed
two utility-scale CPV projects for the
Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic
Systems (ISFOC) in Spain.
www.solfocus.com
38 – Global Solar Technology – November/December 2008
www.globalsolartechnology.com
issue_2.1.indd 38 2/22/09 9:40:34 PM
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