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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Friday, December 5, 2008
08:03 (GMT+8)
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| 50 news tagged solar cell |
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China solar wafer supplier LDK urged to cut prices Dec 4, 12:06 Gintech Energy, a Taiwan-based maker of crystalline silicon solar cells, has asked LDK Solar, a China-based producer of solar-grade crystalline silicon wafers, to lower its product prices to facilitate the existing cooperation between LDK and Taiwan's solar cell makers, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Solar cell maker E-Ton reportedly lands 100MWp order from Italy PV module maker Dec 1, 15:15 E-Ton Solar Tech, a Taiwan-based maker of crystalline silicon solar cells, is expected to sign with a photovoltaic (PV) module producer in Italy for a 4-year contract to supply solar cells totaling 100MWp, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Some solar cell makers seeking to renegotiate contract prices for silicon wafers Nov 28, 15:19 In light of prices of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) solar cells having dropped from US$2.8-3.0/watt in early November 2008 to US$2.6-2.7/watt currently, and with further drops expected, some Taiwan-based makers of solar cells plan to ask their contract suppliers of solar-grade poly-Si wafers to lower contract prices to about US$7.5 per 6-inch wafer, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Read more |
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PSC exits from solar-cell maker board, to focus on DRAM Nov 25, 15:05 Wafer Works announced on November 24 that stake-holder Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has resigned from its board of directors. Wafer Works specializes in semiconductor-grade and solar-grade silicon wafers. PSC currently holds 13.9 million shares of the solar-wafer supplier and takes one director and one supervising director seat on the company's board. Read more |
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China solar cell maker Suntech braces for 0% gross margin in 4Q08 Nov 24, 11:33 Suntech Power Holdings, a China-based maker of polycrystalline silicon solar cells and the world's largest provider of photovoltaic (PV) modules, forecasts its gross margin to drastically drop from 21.6% in the third quarter of 2008 to 0% or slightly higher for this quarter, according to the company's third-quarter 2008 financial report released on November 20. Read more |
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Solar cell maker Motech dismisses rumors of defaulted payments by China clients Nov 13, 12:11 Motech Industries, the largest Taiwan maker of crystalline silicon solar cells, has seen its stock price drop for five consecutive business days, having plunged 30.23% as of Wednesday since November 5. Market sources have indicated that the drop has been due to rumors that Motech's clients in China have decreased orders, some of them have defaulted on payments, and therefore Motech's revenue in the near future is likely to drop by 40%. Read more |
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Spot market price of 6-inch solar-grade wafers fall to US$9 Nov 12, 10:28 The price level of a 6-inch solar-grade silicon wafer in the spot market stands at US$9 currently, dropping by 10-14.3% from US$10-10.5 quoted in October 2008, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Read more |
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Polysilicon spot prices drop sharply on weakened demand from solar cell makers Nov 12, 01:00 Spot prices for polysilicon have dropped sharply, as demand from solar cell makers has weakened due to the onslaught of the global financial crisis and Spain's cut in feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Motech and E-Ton see revenues growth disrupted in October due to firm pricing policy Nov 11, 14:00 Motech Industries and E-Ton Solar Tech, two major Taiwan-based crystalline silicon solar cell makers, witnessed a slip in revenues for October 2008 mainly because they turned away low-price orders, according to the two companies. Read more |
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Contract price of solar cells subject to possible price cuts for 2009 Oct 29, 12:07 While contract supply prices of solar cells for 2009 currently stand at US$2.8-3.1 per watt, a few makers of solar cells in Taiwan and China have offered lower quotes in negotiating 2009 supply contracts in an attempt to win contracts and thus obtain advance payment (usually 5% of the contract value), according to industry sources in Taiwan. Consequently, Taiwan-based makers of PV (photovoltaic) modules that are already signing supply contracts plan to ask suppliers of solar cells to lower contract prices, the sources pointed out. Read more |
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Taiwan solar energy makers differ on 2009 business outlook Oct 27, 12:23 Among Taiwan-based makers of solar energy products including wafers, cells and modules, two extreme opinions concerning business outlook in 2009 have emerged, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Read more |
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Gintech three-quarter earnings beat expectations Oct 24, 14:14 Gintech Energy recently reported a pre-tax profit of NT$1.90 billion (US$59.4 million) for January-September 2008, 43.7% higher than the silicon solar cell maker's forecast of NT$1.322 billion. Read more |
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Solar spot market prices fall Oct 23, 15:37 International spot market prices for polycrystalline silicon material, wafers and solar cells have dropped by 4-13% mainly because of the expiration of Spain's solar incentive bill (Royal Decree 661/2007) at the end of September 2008 and the negative impact of the global financial crisis, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Read more |
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LG Electronics to convert PDP facility into two solar cell production lines Oct 22, 11:21 LG Electronics (LG) decided at its board of directors meeting held on October 20 to convert its A1 plasma panel-manufacturing line in Gumi, Korea, into solar cell production lines. Read more |
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Some Taiwan solar module makers forced to buy high-price solar cells from spot market Oct 20, 11:40 Taiwan-based solar module makers in general enjoyed large global demand in the third quarter of 2008 mainly due to the expiration of Spain's solar energy incentive bill (Royal Decree 661/2007) at the end of September 2008. But some where forced to procure expensive solar cells from the spot market to meet contract supply volumes, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Taiwan solar cell maker DelSolar to expand capacity to seven times current levels Oct 9, 01:05 Taiwan-based solar cell maker DelSolar held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its new factory in northern Taiwan on October 8. Production capacity at the factory is planned to gradually increase to 720MWp in 2012, bringing DelSolar's total capacity to 840MWp, seven times the company's existing level of 120MWp, according to the company. Read more |
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Neo Solar secures 8-year solar wafer supply from Wafer Works Oct 1, 01:20 Solar cell maker Neo Solar Power has agreed an eight-year contract with Wafer Works to supply solar wafers worth US$534 million for the period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016. Read more |
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Lite-On to focus on energy segments in future Sep 30, 12:04 With Wistron acquiring Lite-On Technology's display business, the company expects its revenues performance will drop, but gross margin will rise during the initial stage. Read more |
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Spot prices of solar cells drop as old government incentives expire in Spain Sep 30, 12:01 In the global spot market for solar cells, prices have slipped by 5-10% from US$3.6-3.8/watt to US$3.2-3.4/watt in the past two weeks because of slackening demand in Spain in response to the expiration of the country's feed-in tariff incentive bill for renewable energy (Royal Decree 661/2007) on September 29, 2008, according to Taiwan-based makers of PV (photovoltaic) modules. Read more |
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Solartech expanding production capacity Sep 24, 01:20 Solartech Energy, a Taiwan-based producer of crystalline silicon solar cells, is expanding its production capacity through the construction of a new factory in northern Taiwan. Total annual capacity is to increase from the current 60MWp at its existing factory located elsewhere in northern Taiwan to 1,200MWp in 2013, according to company chairman KS Liu. Read more |
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Solar cell makers increasing demand for automated inspection equipment Sep 23, 11:55 As assemblers of solar cell modules have increasingly asked Taiwan-based makers of solar cells to sort products before shipments, solar cell makers are increasing their demand for automated optical inspection equipment used to detect defects and sort by color, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Solar cell makers awaiting new government policies in Spain Sep 22, 16:46 The enforcement of the Electricity Feed-in (renewable energy premium) Bill (Royal Decree 661/2007) in Spain, the incentive offered by the Spanish government for adoption of solar and other renewable energy, will end on September 30, 2008 and a new regulation to succeed it is expected to have significant global influence on the development of the solar energy industry worldwide beginning the fourth quarter of 2008 and especially in 2009, according to Taiwan-based makers of solar wafers and cells. Read more |
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GPM becomes first Taiwan maker of crystalline solar cell process equipment Sep 17, 01:10 Gallant Precision Machining (GPM), a producer of semiconductor, TFT-LCD and electronic component manufacturing equipment, at a September 16 press conference, debuted a set of automatic manufacturing equipment for producing crystalline silicon solar cells, becoming the first Taiwan-based maker of such equipment, according to company CEO Nick Yeh. Read more |
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Taiwan Glass Industrial to produce glass products for solar cells Sep 15, 14:43 Taiwan Glass Industrial (TGI) plans to invest an additional NT$2 billion (US$62.7 million) in the next three years in its plant in Changpin Industrial Park in central Taiwan to produce glass products for the solar cell industry, according to data provided by the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Read more |
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Product difference and virtual localization: E-ton general manager talks about Taiwan's PV industry Sep 15, 12:23 His eyes sparkle when Chin-Yao Tsai, general manager of E-ton Solar Tech, talks fervently about solar energy and in particular the photovoltaic (PV) industry in Taiwan. He has confidence in the sector and firmly believes that solar energy will be another star industry driving Taiwan's economy and propelling Taiwan to the top among its competitors in the worldwide PV sector. "Strength, confidence, and perseverance: with these we can achieve something unglaublich." That is the "DNA" that Tsai is trying to instill in all of E-ton's workforce. With a strong commitment to doing the right thing, Tsai has helped E-ton carve out a place in the PV industry. Now he hopes to enlist the resources available through SEMI to create a blue ocean for Taiwan's PV industry. Read more |
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Solar cell ASP drop will not affect profitability, says E-ton Sep 10, 01:40 Despite that contract prices for its solar cells will decline by single digits in 2009, gross margin is not going to be affected, according Chi-Yao Tsai, general manager of E-ton Solar Tech. Read more |
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Solar cell contract prices to be flat on year in 2009 Sep 4, 10:53 As most Taiwan-based solar cell makers have settled their contract prices at a recent solar energy show at Spain, they observed that anticipated strong demand has sustained a flat average selling price (ASP) trend. Power efficiency has again drawn attention, being an important indicator on price bargaining. Read more |
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Gigastorage aims to double sales from solar-cell conductive paste Aug 28, 01:20 Gigastorage aims to double revenues from solar cell conductive paste to NT$1.2 billion (US$38.1 million) in 2010 by securing orders from more solar cell makers, according to company executives during a product launch event on August 27. Read more |
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Motech secures additional polysilicon from DC Chemical Stockwatch - Aug 26, 01:15 Motech Industries announced that it has secured two additional polysilicon contracts from DC Chemical (DCC), according to company filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
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Mosel lands solar-cell orders from Tynsolar Aug 22, 12:36 Mosel Vitelic announced that it has landed a three-year solar cell contract with solar module maker Tynsolar. Read more |
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Tainergy inaugurates new solar cell plant; plans IPO in 2009 Aug 21, 16:46 Tainergy Tech hold the official inauguration ceremony for its new crystalline solar cell plant in Chungli, Taiwan on August 21. The company plans to boost its annual capacity to 1 peak gigawatt (GWp) in five years and to have initial public offering (IPO) in Taiwan late in 2009. Read more |
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Neo Solar Power eyes 20% solar cell conversion rate with Centrotherm partnership Aug 20, 12:30 Neo Solar Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with equipment vendor Centrotherm Photovoltaics on August 19, aiming to form a partnership that will boost the power conversion efficiency of its solar cell by one percentage point per year over the next three years. Read more |
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SAS to supply wafers to Solartech Aug 20, 01:10 Taiwan-based wafer supplier Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) has announced that it has signed an NT$5.7 billion (US$181.46 million) supply contract with fellow solar cell maker Solartech Energy. Read more |
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Solar wafer suppliers see silicon carbide prices soar amid short supply Aug 13, 01:00 Prices of silicon carbide, a material for solar wafer cutting, have jumped sharply since last year, as China, the biggest supplier, has imposed export quotas on the material, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Solar cell ASPs to remain high in 3Q08 Aug 8, 12:25 Despite that some industry players have expressed concerns about possible solar cell price declines due to the expiration of the government incentive program in Spain and cutting of subsidies in Germany, contract and spot market prices are expected to remain high throughout the third quarter amid consistent shortages. Read more |
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Solar-cell power conversion requirements keep growing Jul 23, 15:33 Despite continuing high solar cell average selling prices (ASPs), customers are not willing to sacrifice quantity at the expense of quality. The power conversion efficiency requirements for different kinds of solar cells, even broken ones, have continued to climb, according to industry players. Read more |
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Thin-film solar capacity fully booked; more lines to come online, says Sunwell Jul 17, 15:49 Sunwell Technology has already found capacity fully booked at its first thin-film solar cell line which entered volume production this month. In light of the strong orders, the company will start equipment installation at its second line during late 2008, with third and fourth lines also planned. Read more |
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Solar companies say Taiwan government incentive program unrealistic Jul 17, 12:36 Taiwan government's planned incentive program to encourage photovoltaic (PV) investment is not very much appreciated by market players, as a critical portion of the act is still pending to be discussed by Taiwan's legislature (Executive Yuan), and real benefit that industry players will enjoy still remains a doubt. Read more |
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Mosel secures 7-year solar wafer supply from Nexolon Jul 9, 01:15 Mosel Vitelic has signed yet another contract with Korea-based solar wafer supplier Nexolon worth a total of US$360 million over a seven-year period, according to the Taiwan-based solar cell maker. Read more |
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Solar wafer suppliers Green Energy and SAS may raise quotes Jul 9, 01:00 Solar silicon wafer suppliers Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) and Green Energy Technology are considering raising their contract manufacturing quotes soon because of rising production costs, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Solar-cell spot pricing surges by over 10% in a month Jun 27, 15:45 Spot pricing for solar cells has surged by over 10% in a month with a premium of almost 20% over contract quotes. The upsurge is due to a rapid order pull-in from system maker wishing to enjoy the government incentives offered in Spain before the program expires. Read more |
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Efun gears up development of LCD TV-use BEFs Jun 23, 10:33 Taiwan-based optical film maker Efun Technology is gearing up its development of LCD TV-use brightness enhancement films (BEFs), with aims to sharply expand its supply to Korea- and Taiwan-based panel makers by the fourth quarter of 2008, according to company president Ying-Tsung Lu. Read more |
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DuPont sets up R&D center in Taiwan for solar cell materials Jun 18, 01:15 DuPont has set up an R&D center in Taiwan for the development of materials for crystalline silicon and thin-film solar cells. The company expects to invest US$3 million in the center. Read more |
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Neo Solar Power to add fourth solar cell production line Jun 17, 11:56 By adding a fourth production line, Neo Solar Power is expected to see its overall solar cell production capacity to more than double during year-end 2008. Read more |
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LDK Solar constructs huge polysilicon fab in China Jun 9, 16:15 In light of the dominant role that polysilicon plays in the solar cell market, LDK Solar is constructing a polysilicon fab housing an annual capacity of 15,000 tons, according to company executives. Read more |
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Gintech raises solar cell capacity goal for 2008 Jun 6, 01:55 Taiwan-based solar cell maker Gintech Energy has raised its 2008 capacity goal 17.8% to 660MWp from the original 560MWp, and it also plans to kick off construction of a new plant in August this year, according to company sources. Read more |
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Scrap wafer price maintains stable Jun 4, 01:00 While the average selling price (ASP) of per kilogram of polysilicon has been volatile, ASPs for scrap wafers are maintaining stable, according to sources at solar cell makers in Taiwan. Read more |
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Optical film maker Efun diversifies into solar cell industry May 28, 12:03 Taiwan-based optical film maker Efun Technology is diversifying into the photovoltaic (PV) industry by investing in a thin film solar cell company, whose initial target capacity is 40MWp by 2010, according to Efun. Read more |
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E-ton to invest US$200 million in new M.Setek polysilicon fab May 28, 01:20 Solar cell maker E-ton Solar Tech has announced that the E-ton Group will invest US$200 million to fund M.Setek's construction of a new polysilicon fab. Under the investment deal, half of the fab's output, or at least 1,500 metric tons annually, will be supplied to E-ton. Read more |
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Motech solar cell capacity to reach 2GWp in 3-5 years May 28, 01:05 Solar cell maker Motech Industries expects its total capacity to reach 2GWp within three to five years, according to company chairman Simon Tsuo. Read more |
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