It’s deja vu all over again as we watch MEMC Electronic Materials struggle. Earlier this month, we reported that they had laid off 200 workers. Now, they’ve laid off 200 more, according to SEC filings. This time, the cuts are happening in Korea.
EETimes.com has more details from the regulatory filing:
… Read the restThe company has now committed to further reductions in force affecting an additional 200 employees of the company’s Korean subsidiary, MEMC Korea Company,” according
LDK Solar (LDK) is announcing this morning it has received a loan of about $29 million from China Development Bank as well as approval for a credit line of around $145 million from Agricultural Development Bank of China which will help fund continuing business operations at a time when financing can be difficult. It appears China is ready and willing to fund their strongest solar companies.
“We are very pleased to secure this loan and … Read the rest
Trina Solar (TSL) announced today the completion of a 4.7MW solar energy facility developed by Ergy Capital at the end of February in which Trina was the supplier of the PV modules used in the rooftop installation. The project in the town of Serravelle Scrivia is currently the largest single mounted rooftop solar system in Italy, using about 38K square meters of solar panels and generating around 5 GW/hour of electricity per year.
“We are … Read the rest
Abound, a small, privately held US start-up, is taking on industry giant First Solar. What’s more, they think they can win. Like First Solar, Abound makes cadmium telluride solar panels. First Solar has managed to reduce the cost of its solar power to 98 cents per watt. According to Reuters, Abound thinks it can do better:
We think we have a slight technological advantage over First Solar," Chief Executive Pascal Noronha said in an interview. … Read the rest
Despite the global economic crisis, LDK Solar has stated that it still has enough standing orders for its solar wafers to keep the company stable. According to the company, it received 14 orders for solar wafers last year and is scheduled to deliver 14,000 megawatts worth of product by 2019.
From TradingMarkets.com, here’s the latest on LDK Solar’s production capacity:
According to an insider with LDK Solar, the company’s annual solar wafer capacity had … Read the rest
Canadian Solar has just announced that it has signed a 5 MW purchase agreement with Helio Micro Utility. Under the agreement, Helio Micro Utility will purchase 5 MW of solar modules from Canadian Solar’s line of PV solar modules.
In , executives from both company’s commented on the deal:
Dr. Shawn Qu, President and CEO of Canadian Solar, commented, “Canadian Solar is already one of the fastest growing solar manufacturing companies worldwide and this strategic … Read the rest
Tower Semiconductor and Applied Materials just signed a 5-year contract that allows Applied Materials’ to provide support for their wafer processing systems at Tower’s plant in Migdal Haemek, Israel through the Applied Performance Service program. Under the contract, Applied Materials will provide technical support for all of the Applied Materials tools in the facility.
Manfred Kerschbaum, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Global Services, commented on the agreement in a company press release… Read the rest
With Applied Material’s share prices suffering in the wake of a $1.9 billion solar contract being cut to $250 million, the company is taking steps to try to ensure continued demand for its products. In an interview with Clean Technology Insight, Charles Gay, president of Applied Material’s solar unit, advised that the company has been talking to utilities both in the US and in China to try to stimulate demand for its thin-film solar panels. … Read the rest
Suntech just announced that the company’s Eagle Solar Roof with SolarBlend(TM) is a 50+ SMART CHOICE award winner. The award, which is given by the 50+ Housing Council and the Sales and Marketing Council of Southern California, recognizes produces which stand for being innovative and environmentally friendly.
The Eagle Solar Roof is a building integrated PV roof that provides solar power to residential homes, produced as a joint venture between Suntech and Eagle Roofing company. … Read the rest
Xcel Energy and SunPower are working together to build a 17 MW PV solar plant in Colorado. The plant is expected to be finished 2010, and will be the second-largest high-efficiency solar PV power plant in North America. SunPower’s Tracker system will be utilized to increase power generation from the plant.
In a company press release, leaders from both companies commented on the announcement:
We believe that solar power generation will play an increasingly … Read the rest