Markets

Having filed for insolvency and self-administration at the end of March, Odersun AG has been unable to find an investor. Consequently, a local court in Germany has ordered the opening of preliminary insolvency proceedings.

In the wake of First Solar’s dramatic announcement that it was shedding 2,000 jobs, ending production in Germany and idling two production lines in Malaysia, the focus has turned to whether market conditions, feed in tariff cuts (FIT), or the company’s product is behind the drastic measures.

IHS iSuppli predicts that polysilicon prices will fall to US$22 per kilogram by the end of the year, due to the continuing production surplus. The company adds that prices vary, depending on both contract type and purity level. These changes, it says, will change the way polysilicon is bought and sold in the future.

Just a day after First Solar announced the closure of its Frankfurt (Oder) facility in Germany and the loss of 2,000 jobs, GTM Research has released a report which asks “Is the window closing for thin film PV?”

Photovoltaic manufacturer, Q-Cells SE is currently looking for an investor. The company is weighed down with debt, however.

Korea-based STX Group is renowned for its ship building and trading activities. However, since 2009, the company has been steadily ramping up its solar cell production, and launched its first module in 2011. In an interview with pv magazine the company talks about its photovoltaic factory plans and large-scale project ambitions.

Photovoltaic module manufacturer, Canadian Solar Inc. and project developer, SkyPower Limited have formed a joint venture (JV) under which they will install up to 200 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaics in Ontario, Canada. They will also develop projects internationally.

Thin film photovoltaic giant, First Solar, has today announced it is significantly reducing its operations in Germany, due to the “deteriorating” market conditions in Europe. It is also scaling back its operations in Malaysia. Around 2,000 jobs will be lost.

More details have emerged as to First Solar’s decision to halt its module production operations in Germany before the end of 2012. Analysts say the decision should not come as a surprise.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its sophisticated think tank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), is funding a $30 million research competition that will engage America’s brightest scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in improving the capability of energy storage devices, including batteries.