Category Archives: PC’s Solar Photovoltaics Blog
The Top 10 Solar Cell Manufacturers
While the demand in Europe is on the rise, European manufacturers are having trouble remaining cost competitive by producing in Europe, according to Lux Research’s latest Solar Supply Tracker. Norway-based cell manufacturer Renewable Energy Corp. (REC), as an example, has reduced production at two of its facilities in Norway by about 400 MW in the [...]
Global PV Market: $130B by 2015
According to a new market research report, “Global Photovoltaic (PV) Market & Insights into Chinese and Japanese Photovoltaic (PV) Markets (2010-2015) published by MarketsandMarkets, the total PV market is expected to reach $130 billion by 2015 at a CAGR of 18.5 percent from 2010 to 2015. The market for PV-based solutions is expected to grow [...]
Sharp Achieves 36.9% Solar Cell Efficiency
Sharp Corp. has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 36.9 percent using a triple-junction compound solar cell in which the solar cell has a stacked three-layer structure. Compound solar cells utilize photo-absorption layers made from compounds consisting of two or more elements, such as indium and gallium. Because of their high conversion [...]
China FiT Policy: 14 GW PV Project Pipeline
The release of a national photovoltaic (PV) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) policy in July has resulted in a significant increase in PV project development activity in China. According to the first edition of the Solarbuzz China Deal Tracker, as of the end of September, the non-residential PV project pipeline in China stands at 14 GW. Solarbuzz [...]
Will PV Price and Margin Problems Bring Down the Industry?
The latest survey conducted by EnergyTrend, the green energy industry research division of TrendForce, indicates that while spot prices for polysilicon and Si wafer have remained at $50/kg and $2/piece, the polysilicon and Si wafer manufacturers have been experiencing price pressure from downstream makers. In fact, TrendForce indicates that downstream manufacturers’ spot price targets for [...]
Phoenix Solar Singapore Expands to India
Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd in Singapore, the Asia Pacific subsidiary ofGermany-based Phoenix Solar AG, has signed two further contracts in theregion, totalling two megawatts peak power (MWp). India’s PVmarket grew by 57 percent to reach approximately 69 MWp in 2010 and thegovernment plans 20 Gigawatts of installed photovoltaic capacity by2022. “India is poised for expansion [...]
Spire expands its solar PV advanced technology center
Spire Corp. announced that it has begun the expansion of its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Lab at its corporate headquarters. Spire’s ATC Lab houses solar module manufacturing equipment that is at theforefront of technology, including a fully functioning PV moduleproduction line. This facility is used by customers for the developmentand qualification of new and advanced [...]
Suntech solar panels now available for Ontario Solar FIT program $STP
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd, the world’s largest producer of solarpanels, is now offering solar panels that satisfy local contentrequirements for solar projects in Ontario, Canada. Using 100 percentOntario-refined silicon, Suntech’s qualifying 225Wp and 275Wp solarpanels will help local partners receive approval under Ontario’smicroFIT and FIT Programs. As of January 1, 2011, the OntariomicroFIT and [...]
Grupo Clavijo completes France’s largest PV plant
SPAIN: The Spanish Grupo Clavijo company has finished installing thefixed structures on France’s largest photovoltaic solar farm in Curbansin the Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur region on more than 130 hectares ofland (the equivalent of 130 football fields). The statistics of thisfarm show the magnitude of this project. Total installed power: 33 MWTotal investment: € 80 millionEnergy supplied: [...]