Pinto: Grid Parity Coming Soon
Laura Peters, Editor-in-Chief — Semiconductor International, 5/1/2008

Depending on where you live in the world, grid parity for solar energy is coming soon or has already arrived, according to Mark Pinto, general manager of Applied Materials' Energy and Environmental Solutions (Santa Clara, Calif). Speaking last week at the SEMI Strategic Business Conference in Napa Valley, Calif., Pinto said many countries in Europe are approaching grid parity with conventional forms of providing electricity, including oil, coal and natural gas. More

DuPont Plans China Photovoltaic R&D, Production Plant
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 5/7/2008

To support its role in the rapidly growing photovoltaic solar energy industry, DuPont will soon begin construction on a research center in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen. More

Qimonda Enters Solar Cell Manufacturing With Centrosolar
Staff — Semiconductor International, 5/5/2008

DRAM maker Qimonda AG will partner with Centrosolar AG to build a solar cell manufacturing plant in Vila do Conde, Portugal. The plant will make 30 million solar cells per year when it begins production next year. More

Innovative Film Protects Thin-Film Solar Cells, Plastic Electronics
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 5/1/2008

Scientists from Singapore's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering have developed a barrier film that enables a significantly longer lifetime for plastic electronic devices, such as low-cost solar cells, flexible displays and OLEDs. The new technique protects these devices from moisture 1000x more effectively than other available technologies. More

How (Maybe) to Combine Thermoelectric and Photovoltaic Technologies
Margery Conner, Technical Editor — EDN, 4/24/2008

In response to one reader's question about the possibility of merging thermoelectric and photovoltaic techniques to get the most efficiency possible out of a solar panel, several other readers have chimed in with their perspectives on the feasibility. Blog

SVTC Sets Up Solar Development Endeavor
Business Wire, 4/28/2008

Signaling its expansion into the fast-growing photovoltaic (PV) industry, SVTC Technologies, an independent semiconductor process-development foundry, has leased space in San Jose for a new PV development center and hired solar industry veteran Kurt Laetz to head up the new initiative, which will be called SVTC Solar. More

Hyundai to Build $181M Solar Cell Plant
Asia Pulse, 5/9/2008

The world's largest shipbuilder said it plans to invest 190 billion won to build a solar cell plant as part of its efforts to diversify its revenue resources. More

Wacker Searching for New Polysilicon Site
Natasha Alperowicz — Chemical Week, 5/5/2008

Wacker Chemie is studying locations for a new polysilicon manufacturing facility to help meet a surge in demand from the photovoltaic industry. Wacker could not locate a new world-scale facility in Burghausen, Germany, where all of its existing polysilicon production is based because of a lack of space. More

First Solar Sidesteps Silicon Supply Worries
Nancy Gondo — Investor's Business Daily, 4/24/2008

Silicon supply concerns have been affecting companies using the material to make solar cells. First Solar largely avoids the issue because its panels are based on a proprietary technology that uses cadmium telluride. More

Polycrystalline Silicon Price Predicted to Go Down From 2009
Xinhua Economic News Service, 4/23/2008

The price of polycrystalline silicon, a key raw material for producing semiconductor devices and solar cells, is likely to reach its peak level in 2009 and then move downward for oversupply, predicts analysts with Greatwall Securities. More

Sanyo to Move Up Thin-Film Solar Cell Output
Asia Pulse, 4/23/2008

Amid a shortage of silicon supplies, Sanyo Electric Co. intends to begin mass-producing thin-film solar cells by 2010, two years earlier than initially planned. More

Polycrystalline Silicon Project Kicks Off in China
Yao Gang, Editor-in-Chief, SI China — Semiconductor International, 4/23/2008

A new polycrystalline silicon plant is being built in Leshan, Sichuan, a center for silicon production in China. First production is expected to emerge from the furnaces by the end of 2009, said officials of Ledian Tianwei Silicon Technology Co. Ltd., a joint venture backed by two companies in the region. More

MIT Building Low-Cost Solar Concentrator
Space Daily, 5/8/2008

A team of students has spent the past few months assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system they think could revolutionize the field. More

Clustered Films Double Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 4/17/2008

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a method to boost conversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells, which are more flexible, easier to manufacture and cheaper than existing silicon-based solar cells. More

Harvard Group Creates Nanophotovoltaic With Macro Potential
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor — Semiconductor International, 4/15/2008

The research team has created a ~300 nm coaxial silicon nanowire photovoltaic cell that someday could power small circuits and nanomachines. The cell has demonstrated an efficiency of 3.5% and 200 pW of power. More

China's Poly Industry Faces Opportunity, Risk
Xinhua Economic News Service, 4/17/2008

China's polycrystalline silicon industry is faced with an opportunity of increasing market demand as well as risks of overcapacity. More