Most Viewed Articles for the Week of October 6, 2008

In a week bursting with news worldwide, readers paid attention to an analyst's warning of an oversupply situation in solar cells, particularly in light of the weak market for housing and uncertain prospects for government subsidies. In other top news, AMD and Abu Dhabi teamed up to start a new foundry company that will serve AMD's manufacturing needs, a Yale professor proposed a potential replacement for conventional CMOS, and Konarka opened the largest roll-to-roll thin-film solar fab. Rounding out the top hits was a blog on the Fishkill Alliance's high-k strategy at 32 nm. More

PV Analyst Warns of Marooned Megawatts
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor -- Semiconductor International, 10/6/2008

A photovoltaics symposium held by IEEE and Applied Materials showcased the technology's potential, but was tempered by demand considerations in light of the current world economic situation. Paula Mints, a solar analyst at Navigant Consulting, warned that companies could face weak demand and "marooned" capacity as solar incentives are scaled back. More

Schwarzenegger: Solar Is a Bright Spot in Dark Economy
Matt Nauman -- San Jose Mercury News, 10/9/2008

Acknowledging the dark clouds of the economy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Silicon Valley yesterday pointed to clean technology, and solar specifically, as offering a solution, even a salvation. "We all know we're going through tough economic times right now, but that's no reason to slow down when it comes to protecting our environment and investing in clean, green technologies," he said. Schwarzenegger dedicated a 2.1 MW solar installation at Applied Materials' Sunnyvale campus, speaking to several hundred employees in front of a parking-lot array of 7000 solar panels. More

Spanish Solar Firms Meet with California Energy Leaders
Business Wire, 10/6/2008

To help California meet surging demand for renewable energy, Spain's leading firms were visiting California this week, meeting with major utilities, economic development officials, legislators, regulators, private firms, the lieutenant governor, and members of the governor's staff regarding investment in renewable energy growth. More

Taiwan's PV Production to Hit $3.1B This Year
Asia Pulse, 10/8/2008

Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yeh-hsiang said that the production value of Taiwan's photovoltaics industry is expected to break the NT$100 billion ($3.1B) mark for this year and reach NT$400 billion by 2015. More

Sharp Kicks Off Mass Production of Thin-Film Solar Cells
Asia Pulse, 10/2/2008

Sharp Corp. said it has begun mass-producing thin-film solar cells at its factory in Katsuragi, Japan, at a pace equivalent to 160 MW a year. More

Gen. Clark and Sen. Cantwell Keynoters for Solar Power International
Business Wire, 10/1/2008

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced the complete plenary program for Solar Power International '08. As the largest solar event in the Americas, Solar Power International takes place Oct. 13-16 at the San Diego Convention Center. More

US Senate Passes Energy Tax Credit Extension
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 9/24/2008

In a move that likely has many semiconductor companies involved in alternative energy jumping for joy, the U.S. Senate passed Bill H.R.6049 by a Yea-Nay vote of 93-2, which amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to "provide incentives for energy production and conservation, to extend certain expiring provisions, to provide individual income tax relief, and for other purposes." Sponsored by Charles B. Rangel of New York and introduced in May, the Senate added the bill to the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed in May. More

APSTL Claims Crystalline Silicon Advance
David Lammers, News Editor -- Semiconductor International, 9/24/2008

Advanced Packaging & Systems Technology Laboratories LLC (APSTL, Scottsdale, Ariz.) says it is making progress on development of a thin crystalline silicon on substrate (TCSS) technology for production of photovoltaic (PV) cells at much lower costs than thick crystalline silicon wafers. The approach involves creation of a 50 micron layer of polycrystalline p+ silicon deposited on an aluminum substrate. More

MEMC Shrinks Sales Outlook, Sees No Long-Term Hurricane Damage
Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 9/24/2008

Despite MEMC's production disruptions and the lowering of its guidance on raw material delivery delays after Hurricane Ike, the polysilicon manufacturer's stock climbed in mid-day trading. More

Kunming to Build the Biggest Solar Energy Production Base in China
PR Newswire, 9/29/2008

Dou Jinming, development and reform commission deputy director of Kunming, China, said that Kunming will take the lead in developing the country's solar energy industry, thereby popularizing it across the whole country. Kunming is aiming to become a solar energy demonstration city with the characteristics of a solar energy industry base in China. More

Jiangxi Province in $200M R&D Collaboration With Israel
Batya Feldman -- Globes, 9/28/2008

The government of China's Jiangxi Province, responsible for 75% of the world's production of photovoltaic cells, has signed a $200M R&D collaboration agreement with Israel. More

LDK Solar Sees Improved Q3 Outlook
PR Newswire, 10/8/2008

LDK Solar Co. provided an updated outlook for the third quarter of 2008. Based upon preliminary data for the third quarter, the company estimates revenue to be in the range of $530M to $540M, compared with its previously issued guidance of $486M to $496M. More

Buoyed by Solar, Amtech Bookings Hit $100M
Business Wire, 10/6/2008

Amtech Systems Inc. announced that it has booked more than $100M in orders for its solar and semiconductor products in fiscal 2008, with solar orders accounting for ~70% of total bookings. More

DOE to Provide Funding for Photovoltaic Technology Development
Energy Department Documents and Publications, 9/29/2008

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $17.6M, subject to annual appropriations, for six early-stage PV module incubator projects that focus on the initial manufacturing of advanced solar PV technologies. More

Sanyo to Employ 200 at Oregon Solar Cell Plant
Sherri Buri McDonald -- The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.), 9/27/2008

Sanyo Electric Co. plans to build an $80M solar cell plant in Salem, Ore., that will employ at least 200 workers. Construction crews are set to break ground soon on the 861,113-square-foot plant, which is slated to open in October 2009. More

Polysilicon Price to Fall With Capacity Expansion
Xinhua Economic News Service, 9/25/2008

The price of polysilicon is expected to decline this year with expanded production capacity, according to Pingan Securities. Polysilicon's price has been rising over the past year as supplies fall short of demand from the expanding solar cell industry. More

Applied Activates Sunnyvale Solar Deployment
PR Newswire, 9/19/2008

Applied Materials and SunPower announced completion of two SunPower solar power systems totaling 2.1 MW at Applied Materials' corporate facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The systems represent the largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility in the United States. More

Solaicx Appoints Former Applied Director as VP of Product Engineering
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 9/16/2008

As increased demand for high-quality silicon ingots continues to drive production and company expansion, monocrystalline silicon ingot and wafer manufacturer Solaicx (Santa Clara, Calif.) has appointed Peter V. Schwartz as its vice president of product engineering. More