Solar business from Korea

Major business partners Q-Cells and LDK Solar have fallen out over a significant solar wafer supply deal, which could see Q-Cells claim back US$244.5 million from LDK Solar for missing wafer and polysilicon supply obligations under a contract signed in late 2007. Q-Cells said in a statement that disagreements over the contract supply conditions led to arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, yet no amicable settlement has so far been reached. The 20 07 Take or Pay supply contract would see L DK Solar deliver more than 6GW of multicrystalline solar wafers to Q-Cells over a ten-year period commencing in 2009 through 2018. Q-Cells said that this equated to 43,000 tonnes of silicon over the contract peri od and specifically for 2009, equated to approximately 1,000 tonnes of silicon. As was typical in 2007 with polysilicon shortages, an advanced payment was made to secure the capacity. Q-Cells noted that it made a US$244.5 million advance to LDK Solar in the beg...

STX Solar Ends Solar Cell Plant Construction STX Solar Co., Ltd.’s newly constructed solar cell manufacturing plant entered the production. STX held an opening ceremony for a new solar cell plant at its Gumi headquarter on November 2 with Kang Duk-soo, Chairman of STX Group, Kim Kwan-yong, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, Lee Hee-beom, Chairman of STX Energy, Kim Young Hak, Vice Minister for Trade and Energy and Yoo-chin Nam, Mayor of Gumi City in attendance. STX Solar’s new plant will enter single crystal solar cells manufacturing. Partnership with Sharp, Japan based No.1 solar cell manufacturer, which transferred production technology and manufacturing facility to STX Solar, helped the company to establish stable manufacturing system only within first month of trial operation. STX Solar began construction in September last year on 58,000㎡ site and completed construction of solar cell plant equipped with a 50MW class solar cell production system in August this year. With module install...

A solar module prototype developed by SunPower has clocked a 20.4% efficiency in tests, confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). The 333W full-sized solar panel consists of 96 third-generation cells with a total panel area of 1.6m 2 . The prototype was funded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under its Solar America Initiative (SAI), which was awarded to SunPower approximately two years ago. Using the company’s technology, which yields cells that boast a minimum of 23% efficiency, the company used larger area cells cut from a 165mm diameter ingot. The prototype was also treated with an anti-reflective coating for maximum power generation. The company expects to launch the new 20.4% efficiency module on the market within the next two years. SunPower has announced its intention to initiate a solar panel manufacturing facility in the U.S. utilising automated equipment designed and created using the SAI funding. "SunPower has the engineering expertise and proven techno...

Bridgestone will increase its production capacity of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film, which is used as an adhesive for solar modules. The company said it will install new production lines at its Seki Plant in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, adding to its existing EVA film manufacturing site in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The production capacity at the Seki plant will be 1200 tons per month by the second half of 2011, at a total investment of about ¥4.4 billion ($48.67 million), according to the company. In September 2008, Bridgestone said it had earmarked approximately ¥5.4 billion ($59.76 million at current rates) for investment in the Iwata plant, with plans to begin increasing production in early 2011. Combined with the previously announced capacity expansion plans in April 2008 which will take effect in late 2010, the leading tire and rubber company stated at the time that it expected total monthly production of EVA film to reach approximately 3000 tons, once the lines ramped t...

Product Briefing Outline: Wacker is introducing ‘Tectosil,’ a silicone-based elastic polymer sheet, which is thermo-formable and therefore a fast and easy encapsulant process. Tectosil provides sensitive solar cells with effective and long-lasting protection against mechanical and chemical stresses. It is non-corrosive and can be used with any type of module. Problem: There is a growing need for new encapsulant materials as the PV industry continues to expand and traditional materials are limited supply. However, new materials must perform in the same way and offer the durability required for PV module expected lifespan. Solution: Tectosil is a flexible, highly transparent and electrically insulating sheet comprising a silicone-organo copolymer. Because of its thermoplastic properties, this silicone-based polymer can be processed quickly and inexpensively – without curing or chemical reactions. The lamination process thus benefits from short production cycles and a high tolerance to ...

A new report from market research firm, IC Insights highlights the expected recovery in capital spending within the photovoltaics industry as the market recovers over the next few years. The market research firm claims that spending on manufacturing plants, equipment and materials in both the crystalline (c-Si) and thin film sectors has not declined as much as PV manufacturers had wanted in light of the slump in demand and difficult financial conditions, restricting project finance for solar installations. IC Insights said in the report that it was late in 2008 that major PV manufacturers started to make capital spending cuts as the scale of the decline in demand became clear. Although many significantly reduced spending budgets for 2009 compared to 2008, long-lead times and previously planned expansions already taking place meant that many manufacturers could not abruptly halt all expenditures. Although 2008 was a record year for PV installations, production capacity was already growi...