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Misc, Renewable News

While the Swiss manufacturer Sputnik Engineering has mostly sold central inverters for free-standing systems to Spain in the last few years, since mid-2009 the Solar Max string inverters have become a new best-seller.Biel, 18 November 2009. Since the middle of 2009, fitters have increasingly installed PV plants on industrial roofs in Spain , a set up which demands smaller inverters. The new Royal Decree, RD 1578/2008 caps the additional construction of photovoltaic plants and, in particular, reduces the number of large free-standing systems. “We have a large spectrum of inverters with outputs from 1.8 kilowatts up to 1 megawatt and have been established on the Spanish market for quite a while. Therefore, we were able to adapt to the new requirements without any problems”, explains Fernando Sánchez García, managing director of Sputnik’s Spanish subsidiary, Sputnik Engineering Ibérica S.L.U.One of his customers alone, Sofos Solar from Lleida, plans to build 30 PV plants with SolarMax string inverters in the coming six to nine months. The largest of them will have an output of 350 kilowatts. “Sputnik Engineering is a reliable company, and we trust the SolarMax brand”, explains Sofos Solar managing director Juan Mayoral. “Sputnik’s string inverters convinced us due to their

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Misc, Renewable News

SGS Wind Energy Competence Center presented its services at the Global Wind Power Conference 2009 in China. Marcel Poodt, Lead Engineer of the SGS Wind Energy Technology Center (WETC), introduced the Full-Scale Blade Testing services offered by SGS. Participants showed great interest in the services provided by the newly established center.Reliability of structures and wind turbines is essential for wind farms to perform safely and successfully. A minor failure can cause unacceptable downtime and loss. Independent certification and inspection, provided by an independent third party, can improve trust in wind energy projects and secure quality and certainty throughout the intended lifetime.To address this, SGS, the world's leading testing, inspection, verification and certification company, opens its Wind Energy Technology Center (WETC) - a blade testing facility for blades up to 70m length in Tianjin, China, by midyear 2010. In a presentation, Marcel Poodt, SGS Lead Engineer for the WETC, introduced the Wind Energy Services of SGS to participants of the China Wind Power Conference 2009. He also discussed the different blade testing possibilities and methods that SGS offers.With about 500 exhibitors and over 6,000 visitors, the China Wind Power Conference 2009 was the most important wind event in China, hosted by

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Misc, Renewable News

Completing Osaka Nishikinohama Factory to increase production of solar cellsTokyo, November 17, 2009 - SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) is pleased to announce the completion of the third factory building (Bldg. C) of Nishikinohama Factory (Kaizuka City, Osaka), already a mother factory for SANYO's photovoltaic system business.Bldg. C is expected to start high-volume production of HIT solar cells in December 2010 after installation of production equipment and completion of the necessary adjustments and tests for high-volume production.Solar cell production capacity of Nishikinohama Factory will increase by approx. 1.6 timesBldg. C of Nishikinohama Factory is going to have solar cell production equipment capable of an annual production capacity of 135MW. This will enable the Nishikinohama Factory's overall production capacity (annual) to reach 345MW, which is more than 1.6 times the present level.In addition, Shimane SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (Unnan City, Shimane Prefecture), which already produces SANYO's HIT solar cells, is planning to increase its annual production capacity to 220MW (from the current 130MW) in April 2010.Between these two factories, SANYO will have a combined production capacity of 565MW at the end of March 2011 to keep pace with the ever-expanding world photovoltaic system market.Strengthening the solar cell module business based on

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Misc, Renewable News

ALZENAU, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Materials, Inc., Merck KGaA and the Braunschweig University of Technology (TU-BS) today announced that they have been awarded a grant by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to develop processes to lower the cost of manufacturing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting for general illumination applications. Applied will spearhead the three-year project, named Light InLine (LILi), joining forces with Merck, a leading manufacturer of high performance OLED materials and TU-BS, an internationally recognized center for OLED research. Work on the LILi project will be centered at Applied Materials’ advanced development facility in Alzenau, Germany.Fabricated on sheets of glass, OLED lighting tiles can emit white light that is brighter, more uniform and more energy efficient than fluorescent light fixtures, making them well-suited for ceiling lights in homes and offices. While a number of OLED products have been developed in recent years, key challenges such as limited lifetime and high costs must be addressed for the technology to be widely adopted. The LILi project aims to address these challenges by developing large-area manufacturing processes using high-performance organic materials and efficient device design."Solid state lighting is an important component of an energy-efficient future," said Dr. Mark Pinto, senior

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Combination makes Applied Materials the leader in high-growth equipment market for advanced packaging of chips for mobile devicesStrengthens Applied's opportunity in the memory industry's conversion to copperLive conference call and webcast today at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Standard TimeSANTA CLARA, Calif. & KALISPELL, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) and Semitool, Inc. (Nasdaq:SMTL) today announced a definitive agreement for Applied to acquire the outstanding shares of Semitool for $11 per share in an all-cash tender offer.The acquisition makes Applied the equipment leader in two fast-growing segments: advanced packaging and the memory industry's conversion to copper. The combination enables Applied to serve its customers with a broader range of products and expands the company's reach to a new set of customers in the semiconductor packaging industry."The semiconductor industry recovery is being fueled by global demand for mobile devices such as smart phones, notebook PCs and portable media players for music, gaming and books," said Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials. "With this acquisition, Applied will help the world's leading chip makers create ever-smaller and more powerful devices.""Applied Materials and Semitool have a strong track record of collaborating to develop equipment solutions for leading chip makers," said Randhir Thakur, senior vice

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Press Releases, Renewable News, Solar

Sulzemoos 12 November 2009 / Phoenix Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the TecDAX, is today releasing its figures as per 30 September 2009. Seen from an operational standpoint, the two segments of "Power Plants" and "Components & Systems" developed in very different directions in the third quarter of 2009 and generally fell short of own expectations.In the three months from 1 July to 30 September 2009, domestic business in the Components & Systems segment was the dominant factor. Despite sharp declines in modules prices, revenues in this segment climbed by 11.4 percent to EUR 76.2 million (Q3/2008: EUR 68.4 million). Business in the Power Plants segment remained difficult. The implementation of large-scale power plants continued to suffer from delays in financing and the granting of approvals. Revenues of this segment came to EUR 13.5 million, which is 83.3 percent below the previous year's quarter (Q3/2008: EUR 80.9 million) during which high revenues and profits were generated, above all in the Spanish market.Reflecting the development of the segments, consolidated revenues stood at EUR 89.7 million in the reporting period, which is around 40 percent short of the year-earlier level (Q3/2008: EUR 149.8 million). Earnings before

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Press Releases, Renewable News, Solar

Tokyo, November 13, 2009 - SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) is pleased to announce that it has developed two new large-capacity high-voltage lithium-ion battery systems, and will begin mass production of the new products in March 2010. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in electric vehicle technology as a replacement for the internal combustion engine, as part of a move towards better efficiency and the use of clean energy in order to achieve a low-carbon society. With features including high energy density, superior safety, and high voltage, SANYO has been leading the way in the market for lithium-ion batteries used in information devices such as laptop computers and mobile phones. Since around 2004, SANYO has been using its technologies to develop large-scale lithium-ion battery systems in order to help contribute towards the realization of a low-carbon society. After extensive verification testing and trial application in and outside the company, SANYO now has large lithium-ion battery systems that are ready for the market. SANYO will launch a lineup of two large lithium-ion battery system models. The Standard Battery System for Energy Storage (DCB-101) can be easily incorporated into existing systems as part of hybrid schemes using solar

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Press Releases, Renewable News, Solar

Zero Defects International and Viscom, Inc. have announced a day long event featuring demonstrations of inspection equipment utilized in the solar industry. This will be held at the Viscom Technical Center located at 1968 Junction Road in San Jose. The date is Friday, November 20th. Doors will open at 9:30 AM and demonstrations will continue until 4:30 PM.{pagebreak}Technologies to be showcased include AXI [automated X-Ray inspection], as well as a newly developed infrared inspection system. Visitors to this open house are encouraged to bring samples of products which they would like to see inspected on one or both of these technologies. Additionally, those interested in AOI [automated optical inspection] solutions are invited to attend in order to discuss current and anticipated requirements for this equipment.Viscom is a world leading manufacturer of inspection equipment for the PCBA, solar, MEMS and wafer  industries. Zero Defects International provides test and inspection services to these same industries and  represents several equipment manufacturers, including Viscom.Further Information: PaulBenke@ZDefects.com , www.zdefects.comPaul Benkewww.zdefects.com Ph: 408/986-8522 

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Misc, Press Releases, Renewable News

Contact: Rob Hallwachs, (213) 217-6450Nov. 5, 2009METROPOLITAN WATER LAUNCHES EIGHTH ANNUAL SOLAR CUP;TEAMS FROM 36 SOUTHLAND HIGH SCHOOLS PARTICIPATINGStudents build, race solar-powered boats in seven-month programhighlighting natural and renewable resourcesStudents from 36 Southland high schools will begin building solar-powered boats this Saturday (Nov. 7) that they will race in Metropolitan Water District's eighth-annual Solar Cup next May.The Solar Cup program combines hands-on engineering lessons with environmental awareness, teaching students practical application of mechanical and electrical engineering with tutorials in renewable resources and water-conservation."Solar Cup started in 2002 with eight teams," said Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger, "and eight years later, the program has 36 teams participating and is the largest solar-powered boat program in the nation, if not the world."Students who have participated in Solar Cup have told us it was the high-point of their high school years," Kightlinger said, "and that it convinced them to go to college and to pursue careers in engineering, science or environmental protection."A special benefit," Kightlinger added, "is that these bright young leaders get an overview of California's water-supply system and renewable energy. Learning about water and green power will prepare these students to contribute for the future."The seven-month program kicks off

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Misc, Press Releases, Renewable News

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Materials, Inc., the leading supplier of equipment and services to the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, announced today that it has acquired substantially all the assets, including the intellectual property, of Advent Solar, Inc. for an undisclosed cash amount. Advent Solar is a developer of advanced technology for crystalline silicon (c-Si) PVs. This acquisition is expected to complement Applied's portfolio of solar PV technologies and enhance its leadership in the c-Si equipment market.Advent Solar has pioneered several innovations for producing c-Si cells and modules, including technology for streamlining module assembly processes and advanced efficiency device architectures. The company, founded in 2002, is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico."We believe the acquisition of Advent Solar will increase our opportunities to provide innovative solutions for reducing module production costs," said Dr. Mark Pinto, chief technology officer and general manager of Applied's Energy and Environmental Solutions Group. "Combining Advent Solar's PV technology with Applied's expertise in automated wafering and cell production equipment, we expect to deliver systems that will enhance customers' c-Si roadmaps and accelerate the reduction in cost per watt of solar electricity."After the close of this transaction, Advent Solar's assets will be integrated with Applied's Energy and Environmental

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