The Measure of All Things: Photovoltaics: An Alternative Opinion
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor — Semiconductor International, 4/4/2008

In the opening keynote at a recent SEMI event, Arthur W. Zafiropoulo, chairman, president and CEO of Ultratech, spoke out against the photovoltaics craze, referring to it as "the next dotcom bust." More

Printed Electronics Seeks New Territories
Chris Edwards, Contributing Editor — Semiconductor International, 04/09/2008

Printed electronics must look to new markets, such as flexible displays, photovoltaics and wearable electronics, said Peter Harrop, chairman of consultancy IDTechEx. More

German Lessons in Renewable Energy
The Economist, 4/5/2008

Germany leads the world in its installed capacity of renewable energy sources, and is the third-biggest producer of solar panels after China and Japan. More

Hoku Increases Plans for Polysilicon Production
Market Wire, 4/9/2008

Hoku Materials Inc. announced amendments to construction contracts, increasing targeted polysilicon production to 3500 metric tons per year. More

Chinese Solar Cells Reportedly Swamping German Market
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 3/28/2008

China has overtaken Germany as the top world producer of solar cells, and other eastern countries are catching up fast, according to a report published by the online edition of Germany's Der Spiegel magazine. More

Sharp Invests $724M in Thin-Film Solar Cell Plant
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 3/28/2008

Sharp has made a total capital investment of ~$724M to build a thin-film solar cell plant in Sakai, Japan, that is capable of annual production up to 1 GW per year. With the annual production capacity on a gigawatt scale, Applied Materials may be the supplier of the equipment, although the companies would not confirm this. More

Japan's Sumco to Accelerate Solar Wafer Production
Asia Pulse, 4/3/2008

Sumco Corp., the world's second-largest silicon wafer producer, is expanding production of wafers for solar cells. More

Applied Bets on a Bright Solar Future
Kirk Ladendorf — Austin American-Statesman, 3/24/2008

The boomlet in the fledgling solar power industry may slow dramatically next year, according to a new market research report, but Applied Materials Inc. is undeterred. More

Flush With Silicon, Chinese Company Enters Korean Market
Greenwire, 4/3/2008

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., which has fast become one of China's largest solar products manufacturers, sees its future across the Yellow Sea. More

Dye Reacts With TiO₂ to Improve Solar Cell Efficiency
Advanced Ceramics Report, 4/1/2008

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and the University of Tokyo have worked together to develop sensitizers based on indoline dye that could assist in the creation of cheap and efficient solar cells. More

Boron Nitride Infused Polymer Protects Organic Solar Cells
Advanced Ceramics Report, 4/1/2008

Scientists at Wake Forest University and the Indian Institute of Technology have shown that by coating organic photovoltaics with a polymer filled with boron nitride nanotubes, they can significantly increase the life of these components. More

Gartner Updates Polysilicon Market Outlook
Staff — Semiconductor International, 3/24/2008

Analyst Takashi Ogawa updated the market research firm's forecast for polysilicon supply capacity, predicting that supply will "increase substantially" as more than a dozen vendors ramp up polysilicon supply aimed at the photovoltaic segment. More

Fujifilm Dimatix Inkjets Solar Cell Materials
Business Wire, 3/26/2008

Fujifilm Dimatix announced that its cartridge-based Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP) has been used in the world's first-known demonstration of inkjet technology for manufacturing photovoltaic solar cells. More

Lab Claims Thin-Film Solar Cell Nears Parity With Silicon
US Fed News, 3/24/2008

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has moved closer to creating a thin-film solar cell that can compete with the efficiency of the more common silicon-based solar cell. More