Industry News
validate the system level performance and cost of making solar panels on this fabrica- will evaluate SiGen’s PolyMax “kerf-free”
to develop market demand for the BIPV tion system from about $1.50 per watt to substrate samples made at SiGen’s new
roofing products.
www.ascentsolar.com about $1.20 per watt for customers. The pilot manufacturing facility and collaborate
company’s goal is to get to the magic $1 in optimizing the high-volume manufactur-
Conergy sells two thin film projects per watt or less figure in “the next couple ing equipment design that can process sili-
Conergy AG has sold photovoltaic plants of years.”
www.oerlikon.com con ingots into kerf-free wafers of 150um
‘Igling-Buchloe’ and ‘Neuhaus”” to a thickness and below. The agreement also
German ‘Emissionshaus’ (similar to a Donauer starts up 1.4 MW includes commercial terms for supply of
Merchant Bank). The plants have been photovoltaic power plant HVM production equipment to NorSun.
completed and are now feeding power into Donauer Solartechnik’s first large photo-
www.sigen.com,
www.norsuncorp.no
the public grid. Both plants were planned voltaic project in Spain has been success-
and developed by the Conergy subsidiary fully connected to the grid. The ground- IREDA to sanction Rs. 17,000 crore
EPURON, with financing provided by a mounted system in Vila-Sana, in the region for green push
German regional bank.With a total power Lleila, has a nominal power of around 1.4 Indian Renewable Energy Development
output of some 5.8 megawatts, the Bavar- MW. Donauer Solar Systems supported Agency (IREDA), an enterprise under the
ian ‘Igling-Buchloe’ plant is one of the the customer in the project development ministry of new and renewable energy
largest thin-film photovoltaic plant in the and realization and supplied the solar (MNRE), would pump in approximately
world. Together, both thin-film plants gen- modules and the mounting systems. The Rs 17,000 crore to fund renewable energy
erate a total output of some 9 megawatts— project utilized Evergreen Solar modules. (RE) sector projects during the 11th Five
equivalent to supplying almost 3,000 The installation will annually produce Year Plan. The company would raise Rs
households with environmentally-friendly around 1.9 million kWh emission-free 1,000 crore from foreign markets in the
electricity every day.
www.conergy.de electricity, saving the environment about current financial year to finance the proj-
1,150 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. ects. The company has been negotiating
SolFocus announces industry
www.donauer-solar.de with several international lenders, includ-
leading 25% efficient concentrator ing KfW Germany, European Investment
PV systems Sunovia and EPIR down-conversion Bank and Nordic Bank, to borrow funds.
SolFocus has announced its latest concen- of UV light to visible light a success IREDA is expected to receive approximate-
trator photovoltaic (CPV) solution, the Sunovia Energy Technologies, Inc., and ly 70 million euros from KfW Germany in
SolFocus 1100S. This new CPV system EPIR Technologies, Inc., have successfully January 2009. Other, international lenders
achieves panel efficiencies of 25%, result- demonstrated optical down-conversion would raise the remaining funds.
ing in systems that produce the highest for increased solar cell energy efficiency. According to the Planning Commis-
energy density and highest energy yield of Optical down-conversion enhances solar sion estimates, renewable energy projects
photovoltaic systems available today. cell efficiency by converting the sun’s ul- worth Rs. 80,000 crore, which are expected
SolFocus customer EMPE Solar will traviolet (UV) light into visible light which to generate 15,000 MW power, would
deploy the SolFocus 1100S in its recently can be used more effectively by the solar come up in the plan. Of this, IREDA
announced 10 megawatt large-scale project, cell. Sunovia and EPIR have demonstrated would pump in Rs. 17,000 crore to help
expected to be the largest deployment of energy down-conversion in glass ceramic generate 5,000 MW power via renewable
CPV technology in Europe. materials containing ultra-small crystalline energy. The company will extend its 70%
The SolFocus 1100S system combines particles (nanoparticles). The nanopar- of finance to wind energy sector, while the
high-efficiency solar cells (approaching ticles contain a rare earth ion that makes remaining 30% would cover solar, bio mass
40%) and advanced optics to provide ener- them transparent to visible light, creating and hydro projects.
www.ireda.in
gy solutions which are scalable, dependable an ideal top layer for solar cells which are
and capable of delivering on the promise typically covered with a sheet of glass in LDK Solar signs wafer supply
of low-cost, clean, renewable energy. most cases. The ceramic glass material that agreement with BP Solar
www.solfocus.com hosts the nanoparticles is also particularly LDK Solar has signed a three-year contract
instrumental in safeguarding efficiency to supply multicrystalline solar wafers
Oerlikon boosts fab line efficiency by minimizing energy loss due to heat. to BP Solar International, Inc. Under
The Switzerland-based company has Further, this down-conversion technology the terms of the agreement, LDK Solar
improved the underlying technology in its is compatible with nearly all types of rigid will deliver approximately 435 MW of
Amorph High Performance fabrication sys- solar cells in the market today. multicrystalline silicon solar wafers over
tem by replacing a transparent conducting
www.sunoviaenergy.com,
www.epir.com a three-year period, commencing in 2009
layer made of tin oxide with one made of and extending through 2011. During this
zinc, said Chris O’Brien, Oerlikon’s head SiGen, NorSun AS establish period BP Solar International will supply a
of market development in North America. equipment supply agreement minimum of 1,680 MT of silicon to LDK
Swapping the tin oxide layer for zinc Silicon Genesis Corporation (SiGen) Solar.
www.ldksolar.com,
www.bpsolar.com
means that the efficiency of amorphous has signed an equipment development
silicon solar cells coming off of this manu- and supply agreement with NorSun Carlisle Energy Services and
facturing module are 7 percent efficient, AS of Oslo, Norway, a manufacturer Solyndra enter contract to deliver
higher than the 6+ percent efficiency of the of monocrystalline silicon wafers with photovoltaic systems
tin lines. The zinc layer boosts the panels’ established production capacity in Vanta Solyndra, Inc., a manufacturer of propri-
ability to capture light more effectively. (Finland) and Ardal (Norway) and planned etary photovoltaic systems designed to
That, along with an improvement in crystal pulling and wafering operations in optimize solar electricity production on
the speed of production, should bring the Singapore. Under the agreement, NorSun commercial rooftops, has signed a long-
40 – Global Solar Technology – November/December 2008
www.globalsolartechnology.com
issue_2.1.indd 40 2/22/09 9:40:34 PM
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