Switzerland
PlanetSolar, World's Largest Solar-Powered Boat Stops in Miami
24 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
MS Turanor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest, solar-powered yacht ever constructed, will set sail this month on a transatlantic, scientific expedition to study climate change. In only 22 days, the vessel broke its Guinness World Record for completing the fastest transatlantic crossing with a solar boat, solely operated without any fuel or CO2 emissions.
IBM Develops Economical Sunflower CPV System
29 April 2013POSTED IN Research
IBM’s solar concentrator system — called an economical High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system — could revolutionise solar energy. Mounted on innovative concrete solar trackers, the sunflower-inspired parabolic dish uses a multitude of mirror facets to concentrate sunlight onto several microchannel-liquid cooled receivers with photovoltaic converter chips. Scientists are hoping to develop an affordable photovoltaic system that can collect and convert 75–80% of the incoming solar radiation into energy.
European Solar Demand Up in Response to Anti-Dumping Duties
18 April 2013POSTED IN Business News
The Scandinavian-German solar module manufacturer Innotech Solar (ITS) has concluded contracts with six new distributors, benefiting from the increased demand for European solar modules from distributors who want to avoid paying backdated anti-dumping duties for purchasing modules made in China.
Swiss University Sets Thin-Film Efficiency Record
15 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
EPFL’s Institute of Microengineering (IMT) has achieved a 10.7% efficiency single-junction microcrystalline silicon solar cell, surpassing the previous world record of 10.1% held by the Japanese company Kaneka Corporation since 1998, according to the Swiss university.
Acquisition of Oerlikon Solar Complete
27 November 2012POSTED IN Business News
Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) announced that it had completed all procedures relating to the acquisition of Oerlikon Solar first announced on March 3, 2012.
STMicroelectronics' Real-Time Clock for Smart Utility Meters
14 November 2012POSTED IN Applications News
STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has achieved record low power consumption in a highly accurate temperature-compensated real-time clock chip for utility meters and other equipment including medical devices and industrial systems that require stable, precision timing.
Yingli Sets Up Swiss Headquarters
16 October 2012POSTED IN Business News
Yingli Green Energy today announced the formal establishment of its regional headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Trina Solar Helps Swiss Sawmill Go Carbon Neutral
31 August 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Trina Solar today announced the completion of a large-scale rooftop PV system in Switzerland using the its high-performance Honey modules.
The system, deployed on the roofs of Sägewerke Christen AG’s production and storage buildings in Luthern in the canton of Lucerne, has an installed capacity of 900kWp and produces up to 6,000kWh of solar energy per day. This makes the company the first self-sufficient and carbon neutral sawmill in Switzerland, according to Trina Solar.
Swiss FiT Falls Again on 1 October 2012
21 August 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) in Switzerland has announced to cut again the FiT by 15% on average as of 1 October.
Suntech and IBC Solar Announce 50MW Sales Agreement
03 July 2012POSTED IN Business News
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a producer of solar panels, and IBC Solar, a specialist in photovoltaic (PV) systems, today announced an agreement for Suntech to supply 50 megawatts (MW) of solar panels through the end of 2012. The agreement was recently inked after Intersolar Europe 2012.
Update on Etrion's Development Activities in Chile
21 June 2012POSTED IN Business News
Etrion Corporation, an independent power producer, today announced an update on its development activities in Chile, as part of its strategy to expand its operations into the Americas.
Atlas Material Testing Partners with SGS
14 June 2012POSTED IN Business News
Atlas Material Testing Technology, a company that provides accelerated weathering instruments and weathering testing services, has entered into an alliance with SGS, an inspection, verification, testing and certification company, to expand the Atlas 25+ photovoltaic (PV) module durability test program.
Intersolar Europe 2012: Winners of Intersolar Award 2012
14 June 2012POSTED IN Business News
The Intersolar Award 2012 has been presented to companies at Intersolar Europe 2012 in Munich, Germany. The international award pays tribute to companies, products and services in the categories of photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal technologies and PV production technologies.
Intersolar Europe 2012: Suntech introduces 255W polycrystalline solar modules
04 June 2012POSTED IN New Products
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. will present a high-efficiency 255-watt (W) polycrystalline solar module, the STP255–20Wd, at the Intersolar Europe 2012 trade show, which takes place on 13-15 June at the New Munich Trade Centre (booth A4.270) in Munich, Germany.
Intersolar Europe 2012: Suntech to Launch Compact 60-Cell Module
22 May 2012POSTED IN New Products
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. will introduce a new compact frame design for its 60-cell W-Series solar module at Intersolar Europe 2012 on 13-15 June at the Messe München (booth A4.270) in Munich, Germany. The new, slim, lightweight module format is easier to install, lowers shipment costs and reduces the product's carbon footprint.
Suntech and Krannich Solar Agree to 120MW Solar Panel Sales
15 May 2012POSTED IN Business News
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a producer of solar panels, and Krannich Solar, a value-added distributor of systems and components, announced a sales agreement for Suntech to supply up to 120 megawatts (MW) of solar panels to Krannich in 2012.
Delaware Student Generates Hydrogen from Sunlight
19 April 2012POSTED IN Research
A Ph.D. student at the University of Delaware (UD), Newark, Delaware (US), could be days away from creating solar hydrogen, a truly clean fuel with zero emissions. Erik Koepf intends to achieve this breakthrough with his own reactor, which he designed to use highly concentrated sunlight and zinc oxide powder to produce hydrogen in a theoretically self-sustaining cycle. Essentially, he wants to thermochemically store solar energy and bottle it.
Konarka's OPV Modules Pass TÜV Aging Tests
16 April 2012POSTED IN Business News
Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in the development and commercialisation of Konarka Power Plastic, a lightweight, flexible organic solar film that converts light to electricity, today announced that Konarka's organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar modules have passed aging tests following the type approval standard for PV thin-film modules International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61646.
The Launch of the Solar Purchasing Group
21 March 2012POSTED IN Business News
The Solar Purchasing Group (SPG) works on the principle of cooperative purchasing. It has been launched with the aim of negotiating discounts for member companies on the materials and components they buy for solar PV manufacturing.
Ecobuild 2012: SolarMax Exhibits String Inverters and More
16 March 2012POSTED IN New Products
An international audience will meet at Ecobuild 2012 on 20-22 March 2012 at ExCeL (booth N3045) in London, UK to learn about trends and solutions in sustainable design, construction and the building environment.
