Industry News
Information Network indicated that several performance certification and an IEC project FULLSPECTRUM have developed
key growth drivers, including high oil pric- 61730 safety certification from Germany- photovoltaic (PV) multi-junction (MJ) solar
es, a polysilicon shortage and government based TUV Rheinland, the first among all cells which are able to convert 39.7 % of
subsidies, are expected to have less of an Taiwan-based solar makers, according to the energy of sun light into electricity. This
effect on the market in 2009. Considering Sun Well. The two certifications mean the is the highest percentage ever reached in
that the costs of solar are not yet able to quality of Sun Well’s solar cell modules Europe, according to researchers. FULL-
compete with traditional sources of energy, have attained the highest standards and SPECTRUM’s multi-junction solar cells
overcapacity in the market is expected in will thereby enhance Sun Well’s competi- are able to catch more sun light energy due
the short-term. The Information Network tiveness in the global market, according to to their composition of different materials,
noted that utilization rates at solar plants CMC chairman Robert Wong. including gallium, phosphorus, indium
are only 56% and its analysis of 103 solar www.sunwellsolar.com and germanium. These multi-junction so-
manufacturers showed that panel pro- lar cells are expensive and have only been
duction capacity in 2009 will be 15GW Wacker opens polysilicon facility at used for applications in space. However,
whereas only 8.3GW will be sold. Beyond Burghausen site the cost can be considerably reduced by
next year, players in the solar market will Additional polycrystalline-silicon produc- arranging them in special panels witch
continue to face changing market dynamics tion facilities officially came on stream include lenses that focus a large amount of
even as the industry continues in showing at Wacker Chemie AG’s Burghausen site solar energy onto the cells. These concen-
strong signs of growth. yesterday. The first “Expansion Stage 7” trators can reach far above 1000 times the
www.theinformationnet.com reactors are already up and running. The natural solar power flux and have also
plant’s full nominal capacity of 4,500 been the object of the project research.
Sharp plans to launch crystalline Si metric tons a year is expected to be reached www.fullspectrum-eu.org
solar cell with 20% efficiency before the end of Q1 2009. WACKER is
Sharp announced that it will start full-scale thus well ahead of its original, very tight Satcon signs inverter supply
mass production of its crystalline Si solar schedule. agreement with Samsung
cells with a cell conversion efficiency of Overall, WACKER is investing €300 Satcon Technology Corporation, a
20% in 2010. The company has already million in this expansion stage, creating provider of utility scale distributed power
completed the development of the produc- some 270 new jobs. www.wacker.de solutions for the renewable energy market,
tion technology at the prototype level and has entered into a three-year, 180 mega-
is confirming mass-productivity at its pilot Signet Solar begins delivery of solar watt agreement with Samsung C&T
plant. The mass-production plant will go PV panels Corporation, Korea’s largest engineering,
on stream in 2009 and be fully operational Signet Solar announced the production construction, trading and investment
in 2010. and shipment of the first megawatt (MW) firm. In addition to supplying Samsung
In addition to Sharp, Kyocera Corp of panels from its manufacturing facility with Satcon PowerGate™ Plus inverters
plans to start the mass production of back in Mochau, Germany. The shipment came for its own solar power plant development
contact cells in 2009, while Mitsubishi only a month after Signet became the first around the globe, this agreement provides
Electric Corp intends to roll out honey- licensee of Applied Materials’ SunFab™ Samsung the exclusive right to market and
comb structure cells in 2010. Competition production line to start high volume sell Satcon solutions in the rapidly grow-
will intensify over the development of manufacturing ramp of the large-area thin ing Korean renewable energy market. As
crystalline Si solar cells sometime around film modules. Initial customer shipments a certified member of the Satcon Global
2010, when the supply and demand bal- are being delivered to Hannover-based Service Partner Network, Samsung will
ance for polycrystalline Si materials will alfasolar Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH. also provide full maintenance and warranty
probably even out. www.sharp.co.jp ww.signetsolar.com service to all Satcon solutions in Korea.
www.samsungcorp.com
ProLogis announces first PV project Sichuan Apollo Solar Energy
in Japan completes solar PV industry park Miasolé’s chief researcher joins
ProLogis has announced that it will install Apollo Solar Energy, Inc., completed SoloPower
its first photovoltaic (PV) system in Japan. phase I construction of its solar photovol- Kannan Ramanathan, a CIGS whiz from
The one megawatt (MW) PV system will taic industry park. Phase I was the Solar NREL, has resigned as chief research
be installed at at ProLogis Parc Zama I, a Photovoltaic (PV) Industry Park, a solar PV officer at Miasolé to work as a senior
five-story distribution facility totaling more cell material manufacturing base located researcher for a rival company SoloPower.
than 1.2 million square feet. The park is in Shuangliu, Chengdu, China. The park Ramanathan is one of the top researchers
located in the city of Zama, a logistics hub includes a 65,000 square meter factory and in CIGS. Prior to Miasolé, Ramanathan
in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The PV 300 sets of manufacturing equipment. The worked at the National Renewable Energy
system is expected to be completed in the company has the capacity to produce 400 Labs. www.solopower.com
second quarter of 2009. www.prologis.com tons of photovoltaic cell material and 42
other types of electronic materials. Produc- Linde to supply gases to three thin
Sun Well Solar is first TUV tion began immediately after the comple- film manufacturing plants
certified thin-film PV module maker tion of the construction. www.scasolar.com Technology company, The Linde Group,
in Taiwan has been awarded new multi-million US-
Taiwan-based maker of amorphous silicon European project breaks efficiency dollar contracts from three thin film manu-
(a-Si) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules record by converting sunlight in facturers in China. The Linde Group’s
Sun Well Solar obtained an IEC (Interna- electricity local subsidiary, Linde LienHwa received
tional Electrotechnical Commission) 61646 Scientists of the Commission-financed the contracts from Tianwei Baoding,
42 – Global Solar Technology – November/December 2008 www.globalsolartechnology.com
issue_2.1.indd 42 2/22/09 9:40:39 PM
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