SunPower reduces manufacturing capacity in Philippines
SunPower has said it will consolidate its photovoltaic cell manufacturing at its Fab 1 in the Philippines, thus reducing capacity by 125 megawatts (MW). The company adds that it is on track to reduce manufacturing costs further.
PV suppliers stopping in house wafer production as prices plummet
Many photovoltaic module suppliers are putting a halt to their in-house wafer production in light of drastically decreasing prices. According to IMS Research, wafer prices fell by over 70 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012.
Solar thermal exempt from Indian import duty
Solar thermal plant equipment will be exempt from import duty in India. Indias finance minister made the announcement today. The belief is that project costs could be lowered as a result. Photovoltaics was not mentioned, however.
Norways green battery vs. hydrogen storage
According to the industry experts present at the first “Energy Storage” conference, held this week in Düsseldorf, Germany, either technology could win the race to enable Germanys renewable energy future.
Bosch starts PV module production in France
Bosch Solar Energy has begun production on its new 150 megawatt (MW) crystalline photovoltaic module manufacturing line in Vénissieux, France.
Solon Energy will not extend warranty for all customers
In a statement released today, the newly-formed Solon Energy GmbH has said that while “nearly all” warranties will be continued, those plants with special module types will be excluded.
Large scale storage solutions critical to future dominance of solar
During the second day of Solarpraxis “Energy Storage” event in Germanys Düsseldorf, it was claimed that the storage bottleneck needs to be broken, in order to develop large-scale storage solutions, which are critical to the future dominance of both solar and wind.
Heliatek opens organic solar panel production facility
Germanys Heliatek GmbH has opened its first flexible organic solar panel production facility in Dresden. The company says it invested 14 million in establishing the production line reportedly the first of its kind worldwide.
Natcore and NREL unveil two black silicon goals
Natcore Technology Inc. and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have entered into a one year $150,000 cooperative research and development agreement. They have identified two goals.
Germany could become storage technology hotspot
The first day has drawn to a close at Solarpraxis Energy Storage conference in Germanys Düsseldorf. Following calls from Germany’s Environment Minister to rapidly develop storage technology in the country, there is a belief that Germany is well-positioned to become an energy storage technology hotspot.
