cells & modules

OSAKA (Nikkei)--Sanyo Electric Co. (6764.TO) plans to double solar panel production capacity at its factory in Shiga Prefecture amid surging demand created by the revival of government subsidies for homeowners, The Nikkei reported in its Friday morning edition.

The firm intends to construct a new building for about Y4.2 billion, including the costs for equipment. Construction will begin in April, with the facility slated to start operations by March 31, 2011.

The facility will be able to assemble 100,000kw of solar panels when it starts running at full capacity around July 2011, lifting the overall annual output capacity of the Shiga plant to 200,000kw. The increased output will allow the firm to supply panels for about 25,000 more homes a year.

Sanyo's worldwide solar panel production capacity will grow about 30% to 450, 000kw. The firm also assembles solar panels at its plant in Osaka.

The company produces cells - a key solar panel component that converts solar energy into electricity - at its Osaka plant and at subsidiary Shimane Sanyo Electric Co. These cells are shipped to the Shiga plant and other assembly facilities abroad where they are combined and attached to frames to produce solar panels.

Panels assembled at home are mostly sold in the domestic market while those assembled at its Hungary factory are shipped to the European market. Its Mexico assembly plant serves North America.

In June, Sanyo announced that it plans to boost annual cell production capacity at Shimane Sanyo to 220,000kw from 130,000kw by April 2010. In addition, the firm is constructing a new cell factory at its Osaka plant. Overall cell output capacity is expected to reach 600,000kw a year by the end of fiscal 2011.

In 2008, roughly two-thirds of Sanyo's solar panels were sold overseas. The third-ranked domestic solar panel manufacturer plans to expand its Shiga plant now that domestic demand is growing sharply in part because the government reinstated its subsidy program in January.

R. Colin Johnson EE Times

HILLSBORO, Ore. — SolarWorld AG, one of the oldest makers of photovoltaic cells, said it is continuing to expand its U.S. manufacturing operations despite the global economic recession.

The German company's fourth quarter results are not in yet, but the company claims it grew by over 51 percent in the first nine months of 2008 while continuing to expand its U.S. manufacturing capacity. SolarWorld recently opened a new facility in Hillsboro, Ore., with nearly a 500,000 square feet of semiconductor-grade manufacturing areas, making SolarWorld the biggest U.S. manufacture of photovoltaic cells.

"We think we can [manufacture] about a half a gigawatt out of this [new] facility" a year, said Robert Belsner, managing director at SolarWorld in Oregon. "It depends on the technology [and] exactly what kind of efficiencies we are getting from the cells.

by Motonobu Kawai, Nikkei Microdevices
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20081128/162005/

Sharp announced that it will start full-scale mass production of its crystalline Si solar cells with a cell conversion efficiency of 20% in 2010.

"It is going to be more powerful than any other residential crystalline silicon solar cell," said Toshishige Hamano, executive vice president of Sharp Corp.

The company has already completed the development of the production technology at the prototype level and is confirming mass-productivity at its pilot plant. The mass-production plant will go on stream in 2009 and be fully operational in 2010.

Sharp also announced that it will sign a long-term agreement with a US polycrystalline Si material manufacturer in order to ensure stable procurement from 2010, when the mass-production of crystalline Si solar cells with a 20% cell conversion efficiency is scheduled to start.

In addition to Sharp, Kyocera Corp plans to start the mass production of back contact cells in 2009, while Mitsubishi Electric Corp intends to roll out honeycomb structure cells in 2010. Competition will intensify over the development of crystalline Si solar cells sometime around 2010, when the supply and demand balance for polycrystalline Si materials will probably even out.

Reuters
EE Times Europe

TOKYO - Japan's Sharp Corp, Italy's Enel SpA and a third partner are likely to invest more than $2.6 billion in Italian solar power ventures to tap growing demand for cleaner energy despite a global economic slowdown.

Top solar power firms are hurrying to expand capacity even as the sector smarts from a worsening global economy, which is drying up financing for new ventures, forcing smaller solar power firms to push back capex plans and putting pressure on big players to recoup their investments faster.

Sharp, the world's No.2 maker of solar cells, said on last Thursday it and Italy's largest power company Enel planned to spend about 100 billion yen ($1.05 billion) to set up solar power generating plants in Italy with a total generating capacity of 189 megawatts by the end of 2012.

The two and another manufacturer also plan to build a factory in Italy to produce thin-film solar cells, with an initial investment of at least 72 billion yen, it said. That could grow to more than 150 billion yen when the factory reaches full capacity of about 1 gigawatts.

Sharp is stepping up investment and overhauling its business model in an effort to retake market share from No.1 solar cell maker Q-Cells of Germany, whose aggressive capital spending plans outstrip those of its rivals.

The consumer electronics maker is reinventing itself as a device maker, supplying or planning to supply liquid crystal display panels to Japanese TV makers such as Sony Corp, Pioneer Corp and Toshiba Corp.

It will now sell equipment to the joint venture and charge fees for its technology and solar operations know-how, in a step towards becoming an all-rounder in the solar power industry, its Executive Vice President Toshishige Hamano told a news conference.

Sharp, which cut its annual profit outlook by one-third in October, could boost its sales in the short-term by selling its technology and any equipment it develops in a joint venture with semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron Ltd.

But that could hurt its brand and deplete its technological edge in the long-run, an analyst said.

"With LCD prices sliding, Sharp is under more pressure to recover its initial investment quickly, and the temptation for a quick fix is understandable," said Yoshihisa Toyosaki, President of J-Star Global Inc, an IT consultancy in Japan.

"But this raises the cost performance of rivals with lower personnel costs and government backing. It is not a strategy for a company with decades of experience and an established brand," he said.

In the future, Sharp also plans to step up production of silicon wafers and tie-up with a major U.S. polysilicon supplier to help it secure a steady supply of silicon starting in 2010.

Sharp previously said it would take a 34 percent in the solar power generating venture, with Enel holding the rest, but it later retracted the statement to say that nothing has been decided, other than that Sharp will take a minority stake.

Sharp will also take a minority stake in the solar cell venture, which will have an initial output of 480 megawatts.

Capex at Sharp, which also plans a solar plant in Japan at a cost of 72 billion yen with an initial output of 480 megawatts by March 2010, still lags Q-Cells, which has said it plans to raise capacity to 1,000 megawatts in 2009 and 2,500 megawatts in 2010.

The global downturn is beginning to hurt the industry, though. No.3 solar cell maker Suntech Power Holdings Co of China cut its sales forecast last week.

Shares of Sharp ended up 3.7 percent, outperforming the Tokyo bourse's electrical machinery index, which rose 0.9 percent. ($1=95.20 Yen) (Reporting by Mayumi Negishi, Nathan Layne and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Anne-Francoise Pele
EE Times Europe

PARIS — The economic crisis will impact significantly solar panel sales, starting with weakened average selling prices and order delays or cancellations, according to market research group The Information Network (New Tripoli, PA.)

The solar panel market is set to contract in 2009 because of the slowdown in economic growth and the credit crunch, stated Dr. Castellano, president of The Information Network. "Newly installed solar capacity will reach only 7.1 GWatts in 2009, equivalent to a global growth rate of 26 percent, down from our forecast of 49-percent growth earlier this year."

The market research firm said it expects panel prices will fall between 20 to 30 percent in 2009 as global supply of polysilicon doubles. The solar panel market is due to recover in 2010, with a 48-percent growth to 10.5 GWatts of newly-installed PV systems.

According to The Information Network, the thin-film sector, which includes amorphous silicon, CdTe, and CIGS, will account for 17.8 percent of the market in 2009 and for 20.2 percent of the market in 2010.

"The surge in thin-film panels was a result of a severe shortage of polysilicon wafers used to make high efficiency solar panels," stated Dr. Castellano. "This factor, combined with macroeconomic factors will redirect the revenue stream for the industry in the near term, but its impact will last longer"

First Solar, the market research firm illustrated, produces its CdTe cells at an average cost per watt of $1.12, and sells them at an average price per watt of $2.45. Applied Materials is selling thin-film equipment for amorphous silicon panels with a $1.56 per watt total production cost. Polysilicon panels are selling in the $5 per watt range.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioSolar, Inc. (OTCBB:BSRC), developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic solar cells, today announced that the company expects to begin commercial production of its BioBacksheet™ over the next few months, and is gearing up for pre-production runs.

The announcement follows recent news reports, including a feature in Solar Daily, that BioSolar has filed a comprehensive patent application ensuring BioSolar full protection on its breakthrough BioBacksheet technology.

“The ability to evaluate and remedy real-time issues encountered during multiple pre-production manufacturing runs will prove invaluable as we gear up for full-scale production,” said Dr. David Lee, BioSolar’s CEO.

Lee explained, “Pre-production pilot runs of BioBacksheets are very narrow, approximately one foot wide, while normal manufacturing runs will be five or six feet wide. Once pilot runs are successful, the next step is to transition to commercial production manufacturing runs. Physical properties of the backsheet from each pre-production run are measured, sample PV modules are produced, and tested before repeating the preproduction run.”

“These tests will provide the feedback necessary to move forward into full production of the BioBacksheet,” said Dr. Stanley Levy, BioSolar’s CTO. "We are extremely pleased with the progress so far, and we look forward to the successful transition into full scale production in the near future.”

In a September report, and the October 10 edition of California Energy Circuit, Beacon Equity Research analyst Victor Sula noted that previous attempts to make solar backsheet with bioplastics failed due to the material’s “low melting temperature and fragile molecular structure.” He noted that BioSolar’s material has “overcome these constraints” with “durability characteristics similar to conventional petroleum-based plastics.”

The recent activity reinforces BioSolar’s position at the forefront of providing advanced bio-based alternatives to the expensive petroleum-based backsheets currently in use, which have been actively sought by manufacturers as a component of solar panels.

Hillsboro, Ore., – SolarWorld, a world leader in high quality solar power technology, opens North America’s largest solar cell manufacturing facility. The new plant is located in Hillsboro, Oregon and is expected to reach a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) by 2011.

Solar power is increasingly considered the most promising energy alternative because of advances in technology and high-volume manufacturing. Facilities like the one SolarWorld is pioneering will reduce the costs of solar power and increase the number of green jobs, accelerating commercial and residential installations of solar panels and overall economic growth.

“The need for affordable and efficient energy alternatives represents a global issue and is more critical than ever,” said Frank A. Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld. “SolarWorld has more than 30 years invested in solar technologies and today is helping to bring real alternatives to market through a strategy focused on high-volume manufacturing. The new Hillsboro facility is our most shining example of this strategy in practice.”

The solar industry is expected to grow to $74 billion in 2017 from $20 billion in 2007, according to a projection by Clean Edge Inc., a market research firm focused on clean technology. SolarWorld’s fully integrated solar silicon wafer and solar cell production facility will fuel this burgeoning market. The company expects to employ 1,000 people at the Hillsboro facility by 2011 to meet this increasing demand worldwide.

SolarWorld Hillsboro is a 480,000 square foot facility, measuring one-quarter mile end-to-end. Raw silicon is transformed through the manufacturing process into solar cells that are shipped to the SolarWorld Camarillo plant where they are processed into solar panels. SolarWorld acquired the Hillsboro factory, which belonged to Japan’s Komatsu Group, in March 2007 for $40 million and is investing more than $400 million in the new facility. The Hillsboro plant today becomes home to SolarWorld Industries America headquarters.

“SolarWorld Hillsboro illustrates how we move the needle on delivering solar energy, and on a global economy that is fueled by green jobs,” said Boris Klebensberger, Chief Operations Officer. “The Pacific Northwest possesses a hotbed of talent in both silicon manufacturing and clean-technologies. Oregon is the obvious choice for where to undertake this new level of solar cell manufacturing.”

Oregon officials, including Governor Ted Kulongoski, Congressmen David Wu and Senator Ron Wyden joined SolarWorld executives and community members for a Grand Opening Ceremony that included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour.

Headquartered in Germany and founded in 1977, SolarWorld is a veteran of the clean tech industry in a sea of startups. The company conducted its IPO in Germany in 1999 when most technology companies were emerged in dotcom. Today, SolarWorld is one of the most successful clean tech companies on the planet.

SolarWorld has production facilities in Germany and the United States, including in California, Oregon and Washington, and is establishing a joint venture for module production in South Korea. The company delivers its products to market from sales offices in Germany, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and the United States.

SAN FRANCISCO and WUXI, China, Oct. 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), the world's largest photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer, today announced three initiatives designed to significantly expand its share of the U.S. solar market. The initiatives include:

-- Establishment of a joint venture with MMA Renewable Ventures, forming Gemini Solar Development Company LLC. Gemini Solar will seek to develop, finance, own and operate large-scale PV projects greater than 10 megawatts. Projects built by the joint venture will be co-owned and operated by funds to be formed by Suntech and MMA Renewable Ventures that will also seek to attract third party investors.
-- Acquisition of EI Solutions, a leading California-based commercial solar system integration company. EI Solutions has designed and implemented solar projects for many leading U.S. companies including Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, the North Face, and Puget Sound Energy. The acquisition will enable Suntech to provide complete solar solutions to commercial, utility and government customers in the U.S. The new subsidiary will be named Suntech Energy Solutions and will be headed by Andrew Beebe, EI Solutions' current president.
-- Rapid expansion of Suntech's U.S. dealer network to increase penetration into the residential roof-top and small commercial system solar market and build brand recognition with downstream solar integrators.

Gold Coast Bulletin, The (Australia) - July 24, 2008
Author: Suzanne Lappeman political reporter
QUEENSLANDERS will be able to install solar -power energy systems for as little as $185, after a Gold Coast company rose to a challenge to heavily discount the roof panels by slashing up to $5000 off the price.

Oxenford-based eco-Kinetics won a tender to provide 1000 1kW systems to the State Government which was hoping to drive the price down on systems, that usually cost up to $13,000, through bulk buy and sell them to homeowners by ballot.

But the firm, affiliated with one of Germany's leading renewable energy companies, has now decided to offer the $8185 deal to all Queenslanders.

An $8000 Federal Government rebate for those earning less than $100,000 means that some will only have to pay $185 for the panels, which will slash the daily power usage in the average household by up to a third.

The only catch is they may have to wait a year for installation, with eco-Kinetics estimating it could take 12 months to install the first 1000 systems which will get priority.

Climate Change Minister Andrew McNamara said the Queensland Government had used market power to secure an enormous discount.

``We have changed the price of solar power in Queensland,'' he said. ``The whole idea of this program was to intervene in the market to drive down prices with a bulk purchase.

He said eco-Kinetics had now offered the same deal to any Queenslander.

``We have shown other suppliers that the demand is there at the right price.''

As well as cost savings for reducing the use of mains power, the Bligh Government will also buy back surplus power from households for 44c a kW hour.

Mr McNamara said he was disappointed the Federal Government this year decided to means test the $8000 rebate, excluding anyone earning more than $100,000.

Under the pilot program, 68 of the first 1000 systems will be installed on the Gold Coast by local subcontractors within the next 12 months.

The 1000 successful households were chosen by a ballot after the Government was swamped by 5200 applicants within 48 hours of the scheme being announced in March.

Mr McNamara said the Solar Homes Program was part of the Bligh's Government's renewable energy strategy to get the market to come to the householders, as happened with water tanks.

``Like any product, more competition means cheaper prices,'' he said. ``Not so long ago, solar power may as well have been from another solar system for most people.

``The benefits were obvious to most but few could afford it.''

Managing director of eco-Kinetics Edwin Cywinski said that the program was groundbreaking and the company had a secure supply of the systems.

``The systems have a two-year warranty and the PV panels have a performance warranty of up to 25 years and will be installed by Clean Energy Council-accredited installers,'' he said.

Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(06/16/2008 4:10 PM EDT)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Intel Corp. is spinning off an internal startup business in the solar-cell arena.

The internal solar unit, formerly inside Intel's New Business Initiatives group, is being spun-off into a new company called SpectraWatt Inc. Intel did not talk about the unit until now.

Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, is leading a $50 million investment round in SpectraWatt. It is joined by Cogentrix Energy LLC, a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund and Solon AG.

SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers. It expects to break ground on its manufacturing and advanced technology development facility in Oregon in the second half of 2008, with first product shipments expected by mid-2009.

''The formation of SpectraWatt is an important step forward in the renewable energy market,'' said Andrew B. Wilson, SpectraWatt CEO and former general manager in the Intel New Business Initiatives group, in a statement.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008.