China solar panel consortium to establish distribution centers in the United States

A consortium of 30 Chinese companies in the solar panel industry is setting up a U.S. sales hub in Eugene, the group’s president, Ocean Yuan, told The Register-Guard on Wednesday.The group, named Centron Solar, has leased a 25,000-square-foot warehouse in west Eugene, has 10 high-level managers on board and has ambitious plans to grow to 200 to 300 employees in a year, Yuan said.

The group probably also will set up one or two solar panel assembly lines in Eugene, creating about 50 “green” jobs. Those positions would pay about $20 an hour, including benefits, he said.The group’s members — mature manufacturers with proven technologies — have banded together to serve the vast potential market for affordable solar panels in the United States, Yuan said.

“Instead of coming in here by themselves and confusing the market with company names that the average American can’t even pronounce, we decided to combine forces and create an easy-to-pronounce, easy-to-remember name, which is Centron Solar,” Yuan said.Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy said she had met with the group’s representatives a couple of times, but hadn’t spoken with them recently.

Of course, we’re very interested in solar,” she said. “We believe it’s right for Eugene and right for our community energy goals.”Piercy said that if Centron Solar does end up creating hundreds of jobs in Eugene, “it would be terrific. It would be wonderful. We’ve been really trying to encourage solar development here.”A couple of other solar businesses besides Centron Solar have expressed interest in Eugene, Piercy said. “We’ve been following all the leads we get.”Solar panel manufacture uses technologies similar to semiconductor manufacture. When Hynix closed its computer-chip plant in west Eugene last year, eliminating 1,000 jobs, it set off speculation that a solar manufacturer might take up residence there.

Jul. 19, 2009

Q-Cells Q2 pre-tax loss of 62 million euros

Q-Cells AG 14 released, 2 quarter results than expected sales figures for the entire quarter of 142 million euros, pre-tax loss of 62 million euros, the company said that was expected to enhance the performance of the season was not taking place in the overall fiscal years of forecast revenue and difficult to reach production targets.
Tags: QCells prices at the German financial weekly revenue (Wirtschafts Woche) reported that the world's largest solar cell manufacturer Q-Cells AG 14 released, 2 quarter results than expected sales figures for the entire quarter of 142 million euros, pre-tax loss for 62 million euros, the company said that was expected to enhance the performance of the season did not occur, therefore the total fiscal year revenue forecast and difficult to reach production targets.

The company's Q2 revenues of 142 million euros, representing a quarter of the first 225 million euros lower, while pre-tax loss of 62 million euros over the previous quarter profit of 15 million yuan to poor performance. No improvement in the price of solar cells is the important reason for declining performance.

Q-Cells CEO Charles Anton Milner, said prices have fallen in the solar system after the second half of this year's solar market is expected to be improved. Since the end of 2008 since the global financial crisis, credit crunch, the economic recession, polysilicon and solar cell prices and other factors have made investments in great demand by the hit makers of solar energy.

Jul. 15, 2009

Applied Materials in 2008 to occupy solar equipment suppliers of the location of the first

VLSI Research Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) Announced the 2008 annual ranking of solar energy equipment supplier, Applied Materials Inc. Occupied the first position, in the PV-related income reached nearly 800 million U.S. dollars. Application materials include the income of crystalline silicon solar cell equipment and integrated production line of thin-film solar. The main suppliers in 2008 were the rapid growth of sales revenue.

According to VLSI Research's director of European Operations Manager, John West, the top 10 equipment suppliers in the seven from Europe, "European governments as a result of stimulation of areas in the photovoltaic effect, the European equipment supplier of photovoltaic manufacturing equipment in the market starting to occupy a priority position and occupy a considerable part of the global market share. "

Oerlikon Solar is the world's largest in 2008 thin film silicon-based components of a one-stop supplier of turnkey production lines in the entire photovoltaic equipment suppliers in the second. Polysilicon, silicon wafers, cells and components manufacturing equipment supplier GT Solar International ranked third.

VLSI Research said that the rankings include polysilicon materials, silicon ingots, silicon, battery box assembly manufacturing equipment of all income, as well as service and support revenue.

Jul. 11, 2009

Barclays Capital: Solar industry growth than expected

Barclays Capital research report pointed out that with U.S. power companies finance the construction of large-scale solar power plants an opportunity to the next few years, solar industry growth rate will be higher than expected.
Barkley analyst Vishal Shah said that the world's urgent need for sufficient large-scale solar power plants, over time, therefore the volume of solar power generation might be the highest in the entire half of the electricity market. Optimistic about the prospects of solar energy, he pointed out that the next three years, several major U.S. power company may finance the construction of power generation capacity of 5GW of solar power plants.

U.S. Solar Industry Association data show that the current level of U.S. public utility to provide only 444MW solar power plant generating capacity, can supply 2.8 million domestic electricity consumption, but only near Phoenix, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station a fraction of generating capacity 1.

The next few years, solar power generation may be up to 12 times, mainly the United States more and more into solar cities program, including California, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii and other states, is expected to more than 10 solar power plant construction.

Vishal Shah pointed out that, SunPower, First Solar, Suntech Power, Yingli Green Energy and other companies in the next few years solar power generation market, a key driver.

Jul. 7, 2009

PV installed capacity of China in 2011 will increase to 2GW

July 3, China National Energy has identified the PV installed capacity in 2011 to 2GW, is the end of last year's 15 times the installed capacity.

China's Energy Bureau determined electricity price 1.09 yuan / degrees, taken a 10MW power plant in Dunhuang, Gansu project tender price.

Over the past few years, China's production of photovoltaic components to maintain high economic growth. Beginning in 2007, China has become the largest supplier of photovoltaic components are, however, China's domestic PV market is very small, to reach the end of 2008 to 140MW, 98% more than rely on the export of photovoltaic products.

China will soon be published in the new plan will revitalize the energy industry in 2020 by the photovoltaic planning 1.8GW planning in 2007 to 20GW, is 12.5 times the original plan.

Jul. 3, 2009