Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Construction on the Hyundai-Avancis 100 megawatt Korean thin film solar module plant has begun. Expected to be operational by 2012, KRW 220 billion (around US $200 million) has been invested in the project.

Solar Junction has reached 43.5 percent efficiency on a commercial-ready concentrated photovoltaic production cell. The news comes just two months after it achieved an efficiency of 41.4 percent.

China-based Suntech has been named in IMS Research’s rankings as the largest photovoltaic module supplier in 2010. Thin film manufacturer First Solar was consequently knocked back to second place. Meanwhile, JA Solar hit the top spot for cell production.

First Solar, Inc. has announced its thin film photovoltaic modules are now available for commercial solar systems between 10 and 30 kilowatts (kW) in size. Until now, they had only been available for systems above 30 kW.

The new Flextronics/SunPower solar panel manufacturing plant will be dedicated in California today. During the event, the state’s expanded Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) will be signed into law.

3M has said it will build a manufacturing facility for photovoltaic materials and renewable energy products in China’s Hefei High-tech Park.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) has published its 2011 Solar Company Scorecard. SolarWorld has come out on top, with Trina Solar following close behind. A number of other leading companies, however, failed to participate.

The European Commission has granted 3Sun Srl €49.06 million of regional investment aid. The funds will be used towards the establishment of a 240 megawatt, €358.68 million photovoltaic module production plant.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. has expanded its annual photovoltaic cell capacity to 570 megawatts, having added a new manufacturing site in Hefei City, China.

New Energy Technologies, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).