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Solar Junction rises above its own record with 44.1% cell efficiency

Solar Junction breaks its own record with 44.1% cell efficiency

Solar Junction has exceeded its old World-Record with recognition 44.1% cell efficiency on IQE’s production qualified wafers.

IQE plc reports that its high-volume, production qualified material has been individually guaranteed as reaching 44.1% cell efficiency by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), outdistancing Solar Junctions previous World Record for a standard triple junction CPV cell.

The wafers were made applying IQE’s high-volume MBE devices, were prepared by, a manufacturer of high efficiency multi-junction solar energy cells for the concentrated photovoltaic market (CPV), IQE’s strategic partner Solar Junction Corporation (“Solar Junction”). The classic three-junction solar are said to set a new world record for manufacturing scale CPV wafer technology and prove the upgraded performance over Solar Junction’s previous World Record announced in October 2012.

“Breaking a World Record is a major achievement, but improving on our most recent record using high-volume production equipment produced in conjunction with our manufacturing partner IQE, and Solar Junction’s fabrication line in Sunnyvale, CA, is dramatically more significant. This result is a testament to our close partnership with IQE, Solar Junction’s dilute nitride technology and our exceptional team. We continue to be the benchmark for multi-junction solar cell production efficiency to assist our customers in driving CPV costs down”, Vijit Sabnis, CEO at Solar Junction announced.

“Following our recent announcement of full qualification of our high volume 4 and 6 CPV technology, surpassing Solar Junction’s previous cell efficiency record is a massive achievement”, are the word of Dr. Drew Nelson, IQE Chief Executive

“Improvements in CPV cell efficiencies translate to highly significant overall cost reduction in terms of installation and energy generation in utility scale solar farms. The fact that this has been achieved on production-qualified platforms is a major milestone. Furthermore, the transfer of wafer production to IQE’s manufacturing tools enables the Solar Junction team to focus on further improving efficiencies on lattice-matched, multi-junction CPV solar cells using a combination of their unique dilute nitride technology, combined with pre existing IQE IP. This will facilitate seamless technology transfer into high volume manufacture of ultra efficient CPV cells as the conversion efficiency improves further”, he added.

The Japanese government said yes to 19 GW of non-residential PV

19 GW were aproved in Japans non residental Pv

Japanese government approves 19 GW in non-residential PV

Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI), as yesterday’s figure’s report says, has shown its approval of about 19 GW of commercial rooftop or ground mounted solar applications from July 2012 until April 2013.

Clear figures that are proof of Japan’s increase in the solar industry is under the feed in tariff (FIT) were reported yesterday by the administrative authority responsible for the photovoltaic installation scheme, METI. The tariff was brought into effect in July 2012.

Though the fact that solar is growing in the country, some details about the time when 18,681 GW approved installations have to be completed and grid connected is not exactly clarified. Bloomberg New Energy Finance believes that between 6.9 GW and 9.4 GW of capacity is going to be added to the grid in the country calendar year of 3013.

Monthly applications are waiting for approval under the FIT scheme, the follow-ups of the reduction of the FIT rate, programmed for applications approved after March 2013 is clear. Installations for non-residential photovoltaic applications summed 7.669 GW in March, as to 5.263 GW in February and 1.892 GW in January.

Installations approved from April 1 receive 37.8 yen/kWH (USD$0.39/kWh).

METI believes that some projects could have been approved, still construction and installations were late, and said that the projects will be looked over.
Almost one forth of PV installations have been proposed on Japan’s second biggest Nordic island, but it totals only 3% of the electricity request. So vast grid improvements could be asked for and some are doubtful that it will happen leaving the photovoltaic installations stranded.

The white House will have a new PV system

The White House's new photovoltaic system is expected to generate 19,700 kWh a year

Obama reported the instalation of new PV on the White House

The president of the U.S, Barack Obama has announced he will commit to his arrangement on installing solar PV on the White House. This step is seen as a big one for the industry, although he is not the first U.S president doing so.

Ronald Reagan was the first president to do that, 30 years ago. It was then when he took down the ones his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, installed.

The new solar panels are a little late, as the president announced his intention of purchasing new American-made solar panels at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2010

To “improve the overall energy efficiency of the building”, the White house reported the installing begin this week.

The manufacturer, the supplier, or the costs were not revealed. Still, it is known that the PV system is an American one. One of the purposes of this project is to demonstrate the fact that historic buildings can incorporate solar energy an energy efficiency solutions. The cost will be amortized in eight years.

Three years ago, the Energy Secretary Steven Chu reported a plan to install solar panels on the White House.

“This project reflects President Obama’s strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home,” Chu announced at the time. “Deploying solar energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come.”

“Installing solar panels on the First Family’s official residence, arguably the most famous building in America, underscores the growing popularity of solar energy nationwide,” reported Rhone Resch, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

“We applaud President Obama for, once again, leading by example. Today, solar is generating enough electricity to power more than 1.3 million American homes, and we’re extraordinarily proud to be adding the White House to this constantly-growing list,” Resch added.

The new PV system is said to generate 19,700 kWh in a year.

Roxana Moraru

The taiwanese group, Foxcon is considering to enlarge solar operations

Fexcon to built 6 PV plants

Foxcon, a taiwanese electronics group, which is willing to diminish its dependence upon Apple, is said to decide by the end of the year if it would enlarge it’s solar operations.

The producer of Apple iPhones and iPads, Foxcon, is preparing an entrance into a solar sector.

The taiwanese electronic giant administrates a little solar panel factory in the east of China. In April, the factory signed a deal with SunEdison to produce 350 MW of solar modules for the company in Juarez, Mexico, at a manufacturing facility.

In spite of the arrangement, Foxcon it still considered to be testing the solar waters and yet to commit to an industry hit hard by overcapacity and falling prices. Still, if the timing is right, Foxcon could profit from this entrance into the sector, as market analysts predict.

The electronic group is willing to decide about it’s entrance by the end of the year, as Reuters announced. The company has the opinion that “renewable energy is a potentially good trend” but also that it was “an industry we probably need to know more about”, in Foxconn’s spokesman words, Simon Hsing.

Foxconn didn’t report its investment in solar, but Reuters disclosed the fact that that with $22.7 billion in cash on its balance sheet as of March, the firm could easily expand in into the field.

Moreover, Foxconn has a preliminary agreement with solar silicon producer GCL-Poly Energy Holdings to set up solar-related ventures in northern China, but the deal hasn’t paid off yet.

The company is said to be eager to diminish its trustworthiness on Apple, which accounted for aproximatly 60% of its revenue in the past year.

New solar mounting system to be launched by Schletter

new mounting system for PV released by Schletter

New PV mountig system released by Schletter

Schletter has been working on a PVMini ballasted ground PV mount system with proprietary rails for long spans and bigger levels of system efficiency.

A world wide manufacturer of solar mounting systems, Schletter, reports the launching of PvMini a lightweight, ballasted ground mount system for landfills, brownfields, and areas with rocky terrain. Bigger spans and less ballast weight are some of the fact that make the system’s system’s triangle supports and proprietary new ProfiPlus XT™ to be an excellent system.

The ProfiPlus XT rail is designed to optimize the system’s efficiency to nearly 100% in most cases by letting more lightweight components and increased spans between foundations. The newest system is created especially for single-row vertical or two-row horizontal module configurations and it comes partly pre-assembled for faster installation and no using of heavy machinery necessary.

“The PvMini combines elements from two of our most popular systems: The PvMax and Windsafe,” announced Dr. Wolfgang Fritz, VP of Engineering for Schletter Inc. “Our engineering department continually evaluates systems to determine where we can be more efficient; to drive down costs while maintaining a high standard of quality. The PvMini is the latest innovation to come as a result of this commitment”, added Fritz

As the company says, the new system has a standard 20-year warranty, PE stamped drawings, and features integrated, ETL-listed grounding with the Rapid2+ module clamp. The PvMini is currently accessible and it’s been produces in the United States of America and in Canada.

PV could consist o third of the US energy until 2050

Two computers developed by the NREL were upgraded

Computer moddelers consider that $1/W can replace gas, nuclear and CCS and pay the price of introducing a carbon cap.

A computer model was designed by scientists of the University of California, Berkeley. The computer proves that solar PV power produced for US$1/W could supply one-third of the electricity needs in the western US.

The Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative plans to lower the costs of PV energy until to $1/W and the creators of the SWITCH computer model calculated if the purpose is achieved, solar power could replace gas as the provider of electricity generation in the ‘medium term’ and nuclear and carbon capture and storage technology by 2050.

The computer looks at the electricity grid of the western U.S. and predicts that solar will conquer even more if gigawatt-scale storage is used.

The Berkeley modellers also calculated the costs of introducing a cap or tax on carbon could be mitigated by the energy cost savings of $1/W solar supplying one-third of western U.S. electricity.

After SunShot Initiative’s calculations, $1/W solar energy can lower energy costs until 14% , leading to annual saving of up to $20 billion by 2050.

Furthermore, the Department of Energy also reports that the beta of two popular online solar tools developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will be launced.

Visitors can enjoy an upgraded version of launch- that can estimate the cost of of energy production and grid connected PV energy costs globally, and the System Advisor Tool (SAM) that developers use to estimate the performance and financial modelling of planned solar projects.

The lowest module price in UK solar industry needs to be malleable

The deal between EU and China regarding the solar panel prices should have been over by now, the minimum price should be lower, and the government of the UK should, soften the blow of ‘Brussels’ meddling as the Solar Trade Association announces.

The STA , a solar trade body, disagrees with the ongoing situation between the two continents, regarding solar panel imports.

The EU trade commissioner, Kerel De Gucht, confirmed that a settlement has been made. This decision is about a minimum price for Chinese modules but also about an annual volume cap on imports to the EU, as STA reports. They also believe the Uk government must constrain it’s support policy for the sake of solar projects in the country.

The STA also says the if the minimum price for Chinese modules , €0.56 per watt, is also applied to the UK the existing projects might not be economic.
Moreover, in a press release they asked that the duration of Brussels agreement to be shortened for a better fluctuation of the minimum price.
“Thank God we’ve moved a long way from the original proposals, which were truly appalling and without justification” as STA chief executive Paul Barwell announced.

“However, we’re concerned the deal reached by China and the commission will ultimately achieve little, as German manufacturers are unlikely to be able to compete long-term with the Asian giants. Meanwhile in the short term, the proposals could do real damage to the U.K. downstream solar industry and to national deployment levels. They leave the U.K. non-domestic solar industry in a very difficult position, when in fact the U.K. is one of the major EU growth markets, and ought to remain so”, he added.

“It would make little sense from a public value-for-money perspective for the U.K. government to allow the solar industry to grind to a halt because of Brussels’ meddling” STA PV specialist Ray Noble concluded.

Roxana Moraru

Negotiations between E.U and China are standing still

The subject of cheaper Chinese PV important is still a reason of discussion since Beijing is not satisfied with the minimum import price of €0.57/W for modules suggested by E.U.

The European Commission and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce are still negotiating about the import of cheaper crystalline modules, cells and wafers. The two parts didn’t reach a conclusion.

The chance of settling was still possible until the Friday. The Commission was planning to implement a maximum import ceiling of 7 GW on Chinese modules and a minimum module import price of €0.57/W (US$0.76/W).

Beijing was suppose to report a settlement on the import ceiling for modules with the EU, but after the minimum import price became a sensible matter on Friday, the negotiations were postponed. The cause of the discontinue of the negotiations was the fact that the Chinese delegation didn’t agree with the minimum import price.

€0.57 is not a good offer for China because the Asian and European manufacturers who purchase cells from Asia offered acceptable prices before the negotiations. So, the import ceiling compromise of 7GW is not an option either.

The strategy of the Chinese delegation will be negotiated on Sunday and the new offer should be available by the 5th of August.

Roxana Moraru

ABB, granted by the EC to buy Power-One

ABB has its path paved into growth by the approval of the European Commission by buying the U.S. inverter producer Power-One; it is mentionable that the $1 billion auction took place without any struggle in the sale of the California-based inverter producer.

The lack of competition was present “given the limited to moderate combined market shares and the small increments resulting from the merger” declared by the Commission.

The purchase of Power-One was announced in April by ABB, the Swiss colossal engineering company, and is to solidify its position as the top global dealer of solar inverters.

Nevertheless, the EC specified that a few tough adversaries still stay in the afflicted markets for solar energy converters and consumers still have alternate solutions in buying the products.

It appears that ABB is about to set expansion in the PV industry after last’s month gathering with the chief executive designate Ulrich Spiesshofer, taking the place of Joe Hogan, former CEO, in September. ABB will expand in the sector if it makes strategic sense.

Inverters represent the brain of PV systems, offering minimal chance that these devices will become a cheap mass of produced goods, declared Maxine Ghavi, the head of ABB’s solar business. The purchase of Power-One provided “access to the entire market, from private homes and commercial buildings to power plants”, she added. She expects the PV trade industry is about to expand more than 10% in the upcoming years.

ABB also revealed plans to extend inverter production in India and South Africa in addition to the preexisting plants in China and Estonia.

Roxana Moraru

MITHRIL gmbH has been advised by HFG China and Deutsche Mittelstandsfinanz to go on with the transaction of Global Solar Energy to Hanergy

Advice has been offered by HFG China and Deutsche Mittelstandsfinanz to Mithril GmbH, a German family business, who represents 100% of the shares in the selling of Gloal Solar Energy, Inc .to Hanergy.

Since its foundation in 1996, Global Solar has always been a pioneer in the PV production. This is the world leading manufacturing company in extensive construction of CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide) with the light-weight, highly effective renewable energy products that reside with flexible cells, arrays, and integrated shingles. These arrays are laid out for crucial parts of the high-end, high-growth malleable PV trade, especially when glass array systems are inadequate because of their weight constraints and the necessities for flexibility. GS (Global Solar) changes the traditional glass array products, designing integrated PV (BIPV) roof systems. The thin film production within the facility of the company is 40 MW annually.

Being the world’s top thin-film PV company, Hanergy Holding Group Ltd. is a global clean-energy power producer. Hanergy employs in the unification of the entire PV industry chain, and to withhold R&D, top quality equipment construction, PV array manufacturing and de the development of PV power plants.

After the development of GS into a mass extent manufacture company, it raises the need for a large international strategic associate in order to market their one of a kind technology. By purchasing Global Solar, Hanergy is increasing its competence and service offering in the thin film section, which represents an important goal in the growth strategy.

HFG China and Deutsche Mittelstandsfinanz are glad to empower the transaction with the restructuring expert Johann Stohner of Alvarez & Marsal and Chris LeWand of FTI Capital Advisors. The two companies represented joint financial advisors to Mithril GmbH.

Roxana Moraru