Friday, January 11, 2008

ULVAC Provides Thin-Film Equipment To China's Startup PV Firm

Thursday 10 January 2008

China Solar Power Holdings Ltd. (CSP), a subsidiary of Tano China Capital Management Inc., has entered the thin-film solar cell market in China by partnering with ULVAC Inc., a solar cell production equipment manufacturer headquartered in Chigasaki, Japan.

CSP has selected Yantai, in Shandong Province in northwest China, as the site of its first manufacturing facilities. The PV production lines supplied by ULVAC utilize G5-sized glass substrates designed for full-scale solar power generation plants. The plant will initially produce modules based on single-junction amorphous silicon technology, with an annual capacity of about 50 MW.

CSP says it will quickly transition the production lines to produce tandem-junction modules with a higher efficiency rating. The annual capacity for the line with the higher-efficiency modules is expected to increase from 50 MW to approximately 64 MW in 2010.

The lines will incorporate plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition equipment, laser scribers, sputtering equipment and encapsulation equipment. ULVAC will install and commission the production lines at CSP's Yantai plant and train CSP's operations

Hoku amends supply contract with Solarfun

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Hoku Scientific has amended its polysilicon supply contract with Solarfun Power Hong Kong Ltd.
A joint statement Thursday announced the amendment allowing Solarfun until Feb. 15 to process the required statutory approval for the issuance of a $44 million standby letter of credit. The standby letter originally was due Thursday.

The letter serves as a security for Solarfun's obligation to pay Hoku (Nasdaq: HOKU) $45 million in product prepayments for the period Sept. 30, 2008, through March 31, 2010.
In exchange for the extension, Solarfun has given Hoku a $1 million prepayment, in addition to the $10 million cash payment made in December.

Hoku signed in November a $306 million contract with Solarfun to deliver polysilicon.
Shares of Kapolei-based Hoku were up 2.2 percent to $11.35 in afternoon trading.