Manufacturing

The insolvent Netherlands-based Scheuten Solar has been saved from closure by Chinese solar cell manufacturer, Aikosolar. No financial details were disclosed.

Germany-based Sovello GmbH has launched an international M&A process in a bid to find suitable investors.

The insolvent Soltecture, a Berlin-based CIGSe photovoltaic module manufacturer, has announced that the search is on to find an investor. It is believed a buyer will be found soon. In related news, the company has achieved a new module efficiency of 12.8 percent.

Japan’s Kaneka Corporation and Belgium-based imec have achieved an efficiency of 22.68 percent on a six inch semi-square heterojunction silicon solar cell using an electroplated copper contact grid. The results have been confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

First Solar Inc. has announced it will keep its manufacturing facilities in Germany’s Frankfurt (Oder) up and running until the end of the year, due to the short-term increase in demand. After this, the facilities will be permanently closed.

China-based Chint Group subsidiary, Astronergy has completed a 50 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic plant in Bulgaria.

China’s Trina Solar Limited and Germany-based E3/DC have said they will collaborate on next generation energy storage solutions.

IFC InfraVentures, a member of the World Bank Group, and Norway’s Scatec Solar have signed an agreement, under which they intend to develop photovoltaic projects in parts of West and Central Africa.

Calyxo GmbH will ramp up capacity of its cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film photovoltaic modules in Germany’s in Saxony-Anhalt.

Talks with an investor, which should, in the short term, eliminate the debt of Solarwatt AG, have failed. As such, the photovoltaic company will probably have to register for insolvency with the District Court. Update: In-house restoration is sought.