Manufacturing

Germany-based SMA Solar Technology AG has received certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for its transformerless inverters. This, says the company, is a world first for transformerless inverters and means that it can distribute them in the U.S. market for the first time.

Multi-crystalline solar wafer manufacturer, LDK Solar Co Ltd, has started construction on a 1.5-gigawatt (GW) solar cell and module facility in Hefei, China, according to China Business News. It says that the project is worth around RMB 2.5 billion.

MiaSolé, located in the U.S. will be supplying Germany-based juwi Solar GmbH with 608.5 megawatts (MW) of copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) photovoltaics (PV) modules.

SunEdison has installed a 296 kW rooftop mounted photovoltaics (PV) system in San Diego, the U.S. as part of AT&T’s national solar initiative. San Diego Mayor, Jerry Sanders, officially switched the system on yesterday. Additionally, AT&T outlined five other Californian solar contracts it has with SunEdison, which, including the San Diego system, are expected to see around two megawatts (MW) of PV capacity installed by the second quarter of next year.

Trina Solar Limited has said it is looking to expand its annualized in-house production capacities of ingot and wafer, as well as photovoltaics (PV) cell and module production capacity by the end of next year to approximately 1.0 gigawatts (GW) and 1.5 GW respectively. It cited yield increases achieved from improved cell conversion efficiency rates, improved production efficiencies and manufacturing line enhancements as key reasons for this expansion.

Following delays, First Solar has reportedly said it expects construction to begin on its two gigawatt (GW) solar power plant in Inner Mongolia next year, according to Reuters, who was quoting China Business News.

Schott Solar PV, Inc., VE Group LLC and Affordable Solar Group LLC have today unveiled what they say is New Mexico’s largest solar array, located at The Bell Group’s headquarters’ parking structure in Albuquerque, the U.S.

AU Optronics Corp. says it has completed the carbon footprint verification on a multi-crystalline PV module, according to the international carbon footprint standard PAS2050*. EcoDuo PM220P00 is the world’s first PV module to have obtained carbon footprint verification, states the company, thus helping to reach a critical milestone on carbon footprint management of PV key components.

Scientists at the Zentrum fur Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) say they have achieved a new world record for copper, indium, gallium and diselenide (CIGS) solar cell efficiencies. At 20.3 percent, the Stuttgart researchers state that the new results should “significantly” improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin film photovoltaics (PV) over the medium term.

Ohio’s largest operating solar installation has been officially opened by Governor Ted Strickland. The 12-megawatt (MW) PSEG Wyandot Solar Farm, in Wyandot County, Ohio, the U.S. is comprised of more than 159,000 ground-mounted solar panels and is spread across 80 acres of land. It is owned by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) Solar Source.