The PV inverter market, once short of innovation, has seen a surge of investment in the last few years. Spurred by startup advances, established firms like SMA, Satcon, and National Semiconductor are developing new distributed PV electronics technologies in-house or through acquisition. This Special Report from Greentech Media, sponsored by Enphase Energy, takes a look at the state of innovation in the inverter market, VC investment activity, and the emerging leaders in the $2.4 billion PV inverter market.
Download now »As the price of PV falls, the technology will become more competitively priced in Europe and the U.S. before its prices are competitive in China.
The solar firm was founded in 2006 with A round funding from Kleiner Perkins and claims its process could increase the efficiency of conventional amorphous silicon PV by up to 150 percent.
The silicon solar cell startup is on its way to triple its production capacity, and has produced commercial cells achieving about 18 percent efficiency.
The Fraunhofer Institute verifies that a Suntech Power multicrystalline silicon panel has beaten Sandia’s record. Suntech intends to have a 300MW capacity to produce its new Pluto cells and panels in 2010.
The tax credit program is capped at $2.3 billion and is the latest of a series of financial aid initiatives aimed at boosting renewable energy and other greentech manufacturing and job creation.
More solar companies report their earnings this week, and investors haven’t been all that impressed with the numbers. Companies remain fairly optimistic for the second half of this year.
When solar gets cheap, fighting climate change gets a lot easier, says the Vote Solar Initiative’s Adam Browning.
The Japanese silicon maker wants to build a second factory at a time when silicon producer Hoku is putting itself up for sale and SilPro is liquidating assets.
Forget what some analysts say, says Charlie Gay at Applied Materials. Amorphous silicon is here for good.
Germany’ Centrotherm Photovoltaics has begun selling equipment to make CIGS solar cells. Most everyone else has spent millions to get to that point.
Solar panel makers aren’t slowing down their production enough despite the lackluster market demand. Almost half of the solar panels made in 2009 would sit in warehouses, says iSuppli.
The thin-film factory equipment maker plans to release a reference design to help speed up the adoption of its customers’ ultra-large amorphous silicon solar panels.
This excerpt from GTM Research’s upcoming report U.S. PV manufacturing takes a closer look at the ARRA’s “Buy American” clause and assesses its possible ramifications for the industry.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker wants to buy its way into the solar market. What are its options?
Johns Manville, which has set up a new company to market eco-friendly roofing materials products. Will flat Walmart roofs become solar generators?
Many solar cell and panel makers have renegotiated or canceled contracts, leading to prices that make it possible for panel makers to sell their products at below $2 per watt, said New Energy Finance.
Three companies offer solar estimates online. Which works? I am your guinea pig.
First Solar is set to build a €90 million factory in France to supply solar panels to France’s state-owned utility. The factory would be the second in Europe for First Solar.
An investment firm headed by a co-founder of Norwegian solar firm REC has placed its first bet on solar by investing in Voltaix.
The 50-year old company says it can boost the performance of solar modules with chips. After that, it’s on to smart grid, says CEO Brian Halla.
“Think thin,” says Applied’s Charlie Gay. He’s one of the several big guests at Intersolar next week.
A new solar project developer plans to set up a solar farm in central Washington and lure a solar panel manufacturer to set up a factory nearby to supply equipment for the power project.