Japan
Taiwan Reduces Solar Feed-in Tariff
09 February 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Taiwan has announced its new Feed-in Tariff (FiT) structure.
Sanyo Moving Silicon Factory to Malaysia, Laying Off 140 US Workers
06 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., a unit of Panasonic Corp., plans to close its 30-megawatt (MW) Carson, California factory, which produces the silicon ingots and wafers that are used in manufacturing solar cells.
Asia-Arab Sustainable Energy Forum and Sahara Solar Breeder Project
01 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
Twenty countries have confirmed their participation for the 2nd Asia-Arab Sustainable Energy Forum (2AASEF) scheduled for 15-16 May 2012 in Oran, Algeria.
Pike Research Projects Skyrocketing Revenue From Net Zero Energy Buildings
31 January 2012POSTED IN Business News
A new report from Pike Research says worldwide revenue from zero energy buildings will grow rapidly over the next two decades, reaching almost US $690 billion by 2020 and nearly US $1.3 trillion by 2035. That represents a compound annual growth rate of 43%, with much of that growth occurring in the European Union.
Kyocera Announces Residential EMS Joining Solar with Nichicon Battery Storage—Japan Only
30 January 2012POSTED IN New Products
Kyocera Corporation and Nichicon Corporation announced that the two companies have agreed that Kyocera will begin domestic sales of a new energy management system (EMS) exclusively in Japan this summer.
Solar Frontier Selected by enXco for 100MWp California Power Plant
18 January 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Tokyo-based thin film solar manufacturer Solar Frontier and enXco, which develops renewable energy projects throughout the US, today said they have signed a module supply agreement for up to 150 megawatts peak (MWp) of Solar Frontier’s CIS solar modules.
NPD Solarbuzz Releases PV Equipment Quarterly Report
16 January 2012POSTED IN Business News
Ambitious photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing-capacity investments across the Asia-Pacific region during 2011 have provided substantial revenue growth for local PV equipment suppliers, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report.
A Look Back at Solar in 2011: Solar Novus Today Readers Spot News Trends
09 January 2012POSTED IN Business Features
The solar industry in 2011 was a mixed bag of challenges and achievements. Here are the top ten most-read news stories of the year on Solar Novus Today, and some speculation as to why they caught the eyes of our readers.
Terahertz Pulse Produces Highly Efficient Carrier Multiplication in GaAs
30 December 2011POSTED IN Research
Researchers at Kyoto University, in Japan, have found that exposing gallium arsenide (GaAs) to a terahertz pulse produces very efficient carrier multiplication. Carrier multiplication plays an important role in the efficiency of photovoltaic nanomaterials, so the work could lead to the development of high-efficiency photovoltaic cells.
Arradiance Partners to Sell, Support GemStar ALD Equipment Overseas
14 December 2011POSTED IN Business News
Arradiance has announced partnerships with two international organisations: Euris Semiconductor Services of Grenoble, France has agreed to represent and support Arradiance's GemStar line of Benchtop Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) systems in Europe and HTL Co. Japan Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan has agreed to a corresponding role in Asia.
Dow, Ube Joint Venture to Develop Electrolytes for Li-ion Batteries
14 December 2011POSTED IN Business News
The Dow Chemical Company today announced that its 50-50 joint venture with Ube Industries, Ltd. has secured all necessary regulatory approvals.
Kyocera Supplies More Solar Modules for Italian Solar Park
12 December 2011POSTED IN Business News
Kyocera Corporation today announced that it has recently delivered an additional 10 megawatts (MW) of solar modules to an existing 6MW installation near Turin, Italy, for which Kyocera supplied modules earlier this year.
Sanyo HIT Solar Modules to Become "Panasonic HIT"
12 December 2011POSTED IN Business News
Sanyo North America Corporation announced that as of 1 April, 2012, the branding of its HIT solar modules will change from "Sanyo" to "Panasonic."
STMicroelectronics to Showcase Smart Junction Box at PV Japan 2011
05 December 2011POSTED IN Applications News
STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor company serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and a provider of solutions for photovoltaic (PV) systems, will showcase its solutions at PV Japan 2011 (booth P10-403) on 5-7 December 2011 in Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan under the theme "Smart Semiconductors from the Sun to the Grid."
PVSEC-21: High-Efficiency Heterojunction Silicon Solar Cells with Copper Electroplating
01 December 2011POSTED IN Research
Kaneka Corporation and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) presented silver-free heterojunction silicon solar cells at the 21st International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference held in Fukuoka, Japan. Measurements performed at imec showed a conversion efficiency of more than 21% from the solar cells in 6-inch silicon substrates with an electroplated copper contact grid on top of the transparent conductive oxide layer.
Trina Solar Establishes Asia-Pacific HQ in Singapore
01 November 2011POSTED IN Business News
Trina Solar Limited announced today that it has established its Asia-Pacific operating headquarters in the Republic of Singapore.
Provisional Results of the Solar World Challenge
20 October 2011POSTED IN Applications News
According to provisional results of the solar car race in from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia, a distance of 3021 kilometres (~1877 miles), it appears that Tokai University from Japan has won the Solar World Challenge.
Himalayas and Andes Have High Solar Potential Despite Low Temperatures
13 October 2011POSTED IN Research
You might think that the world’s hot deserts are the best places for harvesting solar energy, but researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan have found that some of the world's coldest landscapes – including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica – also have high photovoltaic energy potential.
Emcore Wins Contract for Solar Cells to Power Four Satellites
12 September 2011POSTED IN Business News
Emcore Corporation announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan to manufacture, test and deliver high-efficiency solar cells for the Türksat 4A, Türksat 4B, Himawari-8 and Himawari-9 satellites.
Kyocera Solar Modules Fuel Electric Cars and Bikes in Germany
12 September 2011POSTED IN Applications News
Kyocera Corporation (Solar) today announced that it has supplied its high-performance solar modules for a carport roofing installation in southern Germany which provides power for a charging station for electric cars and bikes.
