MiaSole to Supply juwi Solar With Additional 8.5 MW of CIGS Photovoltaic Modules
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 30, 2010...MiaSole, a maker of glass-glass copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic solar panels, announced purchase agreements to supply German renewable energy company, juwi Solar GmbH with CIGS photovoltaic modules.
The larger agreement is for 7.5 MW of MiaSole's CIGS thin-film modules and will be used in Q3 and Q4 of 2010 for ground mounted and rooftop projects throughout Germany.
This agreement follows 1MW of CIGS modules delivered to juwi in Q2 2010 for projects in Germany and San Antonio, Texas.
The CIGS modules incorporate a rugged glass-glass design, which the company says is suitable for the most rigorous snow load requirement. The design boasts a low open circuit voltage and interconnecting cables that the Miasole says reduce the owner's balance of systems cost versus comparable thin film modules.
"We are very encouraged that MiaSole is supplying its proven and bank financeable modules for a number of projects developed by juwi solar," said Lars Falck, Managing Director of juwi Solar GmbH. "We expect that our relationship with MiaSole will grow to help us meet the increasing needs for solar power together."
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August 30, 2010...Veeco Intruments reports that Tsinghua Tongfang Company, a Beijing-based division of Tsinghua Holdings Company Limited, has selected Veeco to supply its metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems for their new LED factory. Veeco says that Tsignhua accepted the order of the initial systems as part of a planned large multi-tool purchase order booked earlier this month.
Wang Lianghai, Vice President of Tsinghua Tonfang commented, "After thorough evaluation of available MOCVD systems at our Beijing LED R&D site, we selected Veeco as our primary supplier for our new production facility in NanTong which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The TurboDisc(R) K465i MOCVD systems were the clear winner in terms of cost of ownership and productivity." He added, "We have an aggressive plan to ramp production of LEDs primarily to address backlighting demand for TVs, and Veeco's technology, tool performance and customer support best matched our needs."
Bill Miller, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, General Manager of Veeco's MOCVD Operations, commented, "Tsinghua Tongfang has put together an exciting new enterprise, moving from the lighting engineering business directly into the manufacture of LEDs. They have solid financial backing and an experienced technology team, and we are pleased to support their production ramp." Construction on TSMC Thin-Film CIGS Solar Cell Plant to BeginAugust 30, 2010...Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a large contract chip maker, reported that work on its first thin film solar cell plant is expected to begin in September, according to an article in Focus Taiwan.
Rick Tsai, president of TSMC's new businesses division, indicated that the new plant will focus on developing modules for copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. TSMC previously entered the silicon solar cell sector by purchasing a 20 percent stake in Motech Industries Inc., Taiwan's biggest solar cell maker, in January.
At the opening ceremony of a green job fair, Tsai stated that machines and equipment will be installed in TSMC's LED research and development center and plant in Hsinchu beginning next month.
Construction on the LED plant began last March and mass production is expected in 2011.
TSMC also acquired a 21-percent stake in U.S. solar photovoltaic company Stion in July to obtain technology for thin-film solar cells.
Tsai said TSMC is expected to recruit at least 500 people to help develop its green energy businesses in the next 12 months.
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German Researchers Break Own CIGS Efficiency Record
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 23, 2010...ZSW has produced a thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide solar cell with 20.3 percent efficiency.
Scientists at the Zentrum für Sonne- nenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany
(Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) have
again achieved a success in striving to increase the electricity yield of
solar cells, beating their own previous record of 20.1 percent efficiency. The Stuttgart researchers contend that with this performance, they have exceeded
their own world record – and minimize to only 0.1 percent the advance
the performance of multi-crystalline solarcells still dominating the market.
The new record-breaking solar cells from ZSW are made of extremely thin lay-
ers of copper, indium, gallium and diselenide. The researchers boast that the new results should significantly improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics over the
medium term.
The area of the world record cell is 0.5 square centimetres. The semi-
conducting CIGS layer and the contact layers have a total thickness of
only four thousandths of a millimetre, making them 50 times thinner
than standard silicon cells.
"Our researchers have made the cells in a
CIGS laboratory coating plant using a modified co-evaporation proc-
ess, which in principle can be scaled up to commercial production
processes," said Dr. Michael Powalla, Member of the Board and Head
of the Photovoltaics Division at ZSW. The Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg,
Germany has confirmed the new results. However, it would take a
while before the increased efficiency of CIGS solar cells can be com-
mercially utilised, Powalla said.
Goodrich Introduces Shortwave Infrared Camera for Unmanned Vehicles
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 23, 2010...Goodrich Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina USA has introduced what it claims is the smallest SWaP (size, weight and power) shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera for unmanned vehicles. The SWIR camera weighs less than four and a half ounces and has a total volume of less than 4.9 cubic inches (about 80.3 cc). The company points out that the small size makes it suitable to fit on board almost any unmanned aerial or ground vehicle. Currently it is installed in the nosecone of a Raven hand-launched unmanned aerial system (UAS).
The new camera, which was developed by Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Princeton, New Jersey USA, features the company's proprietary indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology to see light wavelengths from 0.7 micrometers to 1.7 micrometers. According to the company, the new SWIR camera can detect wavelengths that are 30 percent shorter than the 1.0 micrometer wavelengths detected by traditional night vision cameras. The company says its SWIR camera's expanded capabilities allow the user to detect and track a wide range of military lasers, day or night, with exceptional clarity.
The camera is installed on the Raven UAS with a 320x240 resolution long-wave infrared (LWIR) microbolometer. The camera reportedly augments the microbolometer's thermal night imaging capabilities by enabling visual verification of laser location and imaging during the hours of sunrise and sunset when the performance of traditional thermal imaging systems is degraded. Our news features are reported
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