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Photovoltaics Featured Articles
Balance of systems: The next step to grid parity

Reducing balance-of-system (BOS) costs is a largely untapped opportunity to improve the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar installations -- and one area in particular could make the biggest difference, explains Ted Sullivan from Lux Research.

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Photovoltaics Featured Articles
The case for PV-specific component specs

Developing standards tailored specifically to the needs of the PV industry is one weapon in the battle to reduce solar cell manufacturing costs. John Baxter and Al Bousetta from Swagelok discuss a new PV component processing specification that matches testing, cleaning, and packaging steps for stainless steel components.

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Photovoltaics Featured Articles
PV industry history: We've come a lot farther than we think

2009 presented many challenges to the PV industry, and there's probably at least one more tough year ahead. But a snapshot at the past decade's milestones reminds that this industry has repeatedly persevered long before the benefits of incentives and MW-scale projects, notes Navigant Consulting's Paula Mints.

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Photovoltaics Featured Articles
Are your PV materials costs out of control?

Two thin-film process materials -- tellurium and indium -- are causing availability and cost escalation problems. Techcet Group's Lita Shon-Roy answers the two key questions: what's creating these problems, and how users can deal with it.

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Photovoltaics Featured Articles
Performance chemicals in solar cell manufacturing

Mallinckrodt Baker's Johan Hoogboom, et al., discuss how and where high-performance chemicals can help realize efficiency increases in multiple key steps in cell manufacturing, focusing mainly on texturing and emitter optimization.

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Photovoltaics Current Articles
2009 production output sends clear message on tooling capex trends (Feb 8, 2010)

Solar PV cell production output for 2009 reveals an ongoing segmentation in both crystalline silicon (c-Si) and thin-film manufacturing approaches, with clear distinctions emerging regarding low cost and high efficiency. Coherent's Finlay Colville explains these trends and the direct implications for production-line tooling down through the supply chain.

Micro-inverters or single-panel inverters? (Feb 3, 2010)

SolarVision consultants take a closer look at inverters and microinverters, and the challenges vs. benefits in integration, cost, and reliability.

Successfully navigating the CPV construction review process (Feb 2, 2010)

One of the most critical stages of CPV module safety investigations is the construction review, which directly impacts and sets the tone for the entire investigation. Kenny Villegas from Solar Compliance describes the ins and outs of the construction review, and why it's important to understand both end product and internal component requirements.

Performance chemicals in solar cell manufacturing (Feb 1, 2010)

Realizing increases in solar cell efficiency or production yield today requires the use of high-performance chemicals capable of optimizing multiple process steps. Mallinckrodt Baker's Johan Hoogboom, et al., discuss where such chemistry can help realize efficiency increases in the key steps in cell manufacturing, focusing mainly on texturing and emitter optimization.

Suntech plants first US flag in AZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Suntech Power Holdings has narrowed its planned first US manufacturing plant in Arizona to the town of Goodyear. The site will start with 30MW of initial production capacity, eventually ramping to >120MW.

Photovoltaics Industry News
Confluence plant puts TN in solar spotlight (Jan 28, 2010)

Confluence Solar's decision to build a $200M manufacturing plant in Tennessee is the third major solar power manufacturing investment in the state, and puts it in the forefront of the burgeoning silicon-based solar power industry.

Analyst: 2009 was actually good for PV installs, module shipments (Jan 27, 2010)

Despite an overall tough year for solar photovoltaics (and most other industries), new installations and shipments of PV modules actually "grew substantially" in 2009, thanks in part to a rush ahead of anticipated tariff adjustments in Germany, according to a recent analysis from IMS Research.

Aussie's Origin JV seeks PV solar help from Micron (Jan 27, 2010)

Origin Energy Ltd. and Micron Technology have formed a 50/50 joint venture targeting photovoltaic technology, a combination presumably aimed to help the Australian energy company achieve new levels of high-volume manufacturing efficiencies.

Commonwealth Club panel: Solar power challenges in CA (Jan 22, 2010)

An evening panel discussion at a Jan. 12 Commonwealth Club event in San Francisco sought to find answers to barriers still facing California as it struggles to source a significant portion of its electricity from renewable energy.

Who's on first for the PV solar industry? (Jan 20, 2010)

Year-end rankings might not tell the whole story about who's most successful in an industry, but they give enough insight to who's figured out what the market needs, notes Navigant Consulting's Paula Mints.

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    Photovoltaics World, Volume 2010
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    Photovoltaics Videos
    There was no lack of enthusiasm at Intersolar, notes Paula Mints, associate director and principal analyst at Navigant Consulting, though she says the thin-film sector is experiencing even more downward price pressure due to sinking silicon prices.; crystalline silicon; First Solar; Intersolar; Navigant; Paula Mints; SEMICON West; thin-film; Russ Kanjorski, VP, of marketing at Abound Solar, summarizes the progress to date at the company's first CdTe PV facility, and why he believes CdTe's manufacturing cost is low enough to allow effective pricing and market acceptance.; Abound Solar; cadmium telluride; CdTe; Intersolar; Kanjorski; PV; SEMICON West; video; Fat Spaniel Technology's CEO Matthew Powell talks with Stephen Lacey about the push for data standards for the solar photovoltaic industry, as well as how monitoring has moved into the world of apps, widgets and Facebook.; Ron Kenedi, VP of Sharp Solar's solar energy solutions group, tells why he thinks the US will be the largest solar market by 2012. He also discusses two new solar modules the company released at Intersolar NA, for commercial and residential use.; Intersolar; Kenedi; photovoltaic; PV; SEMICON West; sharp; solar module; video; Emmanuel Van Kerschaver, Group Leader, Solar Cell Technology Group at IMEC, highlights recent developments at the research center, including an 18.5%-efficient solar cell with copper-plated contacts, and a chloride-free solar cell texturing process.; IMEC; Kerschaver; photovoltaics; SEMICON West; solar cell; texturing; Borrego Solar CEO Mike Hall talks with Graham Jesmer about how the solar supply chain effects a commercial installer like Borrego, how customers have reacted to lower prices for solar photovoltaics and how the company plans to move forward.; Business_and_Finance; John Antone, VP, Energy and Environmental Solutions at Applied Materials, distinguishes between peak parity and grid parity, and why he believes there's room for c-Si and thin-film technologies in utility-scale large field applications.; a-Si; antone; Applied Materials; c-Si; grid parity; Intersolar; PVWorld; SEMICON West; solar; thin-film; Matthias Meier, manufacturing engineering & automation at the Fraunhofer Institute, discusses his role as "coach" of the PV Equipment Standards task force.; Fraunhofer; Intersolar; Meier; photovoltaic equipment; PV; SEMICON West; solar; standards; video; SolFocus' VP of Marketing Nancy Hartsoch talks with Stephen Lacey about the growth prospects for concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) market as a whole, the company's plans for growth and it's road to commercialization.; Technology_and_Products; Ric Borges of Synopsys discusses the application of TCAD simulation to multijunction and CPV solar cells.; borges; photovoltaics; PV; SEMICON West; solar; Synopsys; Graham Jesmer caught up with a number players in solar PV at Intersolar North America to talk about the state of the market and how its leading to innovation and cost cutting measures as well as a new maturity within the solar PV supply chain.; Technology_and_Products; Silicon Genesis president & CEO Francois Henley showcases the company's 20µm kerf-free foil, which is particularly well-suited to BiPV applications and capable of being made into solar cells with 20% efficiency.; BIPV; Henley; kerf; photovoltaic; SEMICON West; SiGen; Silicon Genesis; solar; wafer; Spire Corporation CEO Roger Little talks about the prospects for the solar industry in the US, as well as what Spire is doing to position itself to take advantage of growing solar markets around the world.; Technology_and_Products; On a cost/Watt basis, thin-film solar PV is potentially very attractive, notes Linx Consulting's Mark Thirsk. If the technical challenges are solved, he's bullish that thin-film may take over a 30% share of the market.; Intersolar; materials; SEMICON West; solar photovoltaics; thin-film; thirsk;
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