Thin Film

Update: Solexel, Stealthy Solar Startup, Adds SunPower to KPCB VC Syndicate

Update: Solexel, Stealthy Solar Startup, Adds SunPower to KPCB VC Syndicate

Eric Wesoff: May 22, 2012

Solexel falls in the very-thin-silicon, kerfless-wafer school along with Twin Creeks, AstroWatt, SiGen, Crystal Solar and 1366.

German Solar Deathwatch: Inventux Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

German Solar Deathwatch: Inventux Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

Eric Wesoff: May 22, 2012

Inventux (a-Si) joins Germany’s Q-Cells, Soltecture, Odersun, Solar Millennium, Sovello, and Solon in the group of extremely troubled or shuttered German PV manufacturing firms.

Thin Film Manufacturing Prospects in the Sub-Dollar-Per-Watt Market

Thin Film Manufacturing Prospects in the Sub-Dollar-Per-Watt Market

MJ Shiao: May 16, 2012

What happened to the promise of thin-film PV?

Stion Is Having a CIGS Solar Sale

Stion Is Having a CIGS Solar Sale

Eric Wesoff: May 16, 2012

Can Stion get its factory to capacity by offering modules at $0.75 per watt?

Consolidation Chronicles: Sovello Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

Consolidation Chronicles: Sovello Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

Eric Wesoff: May 15, 2012

Sovello joins Germany’s Q-Cells, Soltecture, Odersun, Solar Millennium, and Solon in the group of extremely troubled or shuttered German PV manufacturing firms.

Consolidation Chronicles: Soltecture Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

Consolidation Chronicles: Soltecture Joins the List of German Solar Insolvencies

Eric Wesoff: May 9, 2012

Sulfurcell changed its name to Soltecture in 2011, but could not change its destiny—or create a BIPV market.

Green Jobs: First Solar’s New CEO and CTO; Amyris, SEPA Staff Shuffles

Green Jobs: First Solar’s New CEO and CTO; Amyris, SEPA Staff Shuffles

Eric Wesoff: May 8, 2012

Jeffery Wolfe steps down as CEO of groSolar, plus new blood at SEPA

Update—Unfortunate Solar Installation of the Month: Utility-Scale Edition

Update—Unfortunate Solar Installation of the Month: Utility-Scale Edition

Eric Wesoff: May 7, 2012

It turns out that vegetation management on solar farms is a big deal.

First Solar Q1 Earnings: Posts Second-Ever Loss, New CEO, New Plan

First Solar Q1 Earnings: Posts Second-Ever Loss, New CEO, New Plan

Eric Wesoff: May 4, 2012

New plan is emerging markets, emerging markets, emerging markets

Breaking News: First Solar Gets New CEO, New CTO

Breaking News: First Solar Gets New CEO, New CTO

Eric Wesoff: May 3, 2012

James Hughes, the Chief Commercial Officer, is now CEO. Interim CEO and founder Mike Ahearn continues as Chairman.

Arizona’s Solar Market Could be Incentive-Free Next Year and Still Thrive

Arizona’s Solar Market Could be Incentive-Free Next Year and Still Thrive

Herman K. Trabish: May 1, 2012

Utilities and the industry are testing technologies and building at record speeds toward maturity.

Unfortunate Solar Installation of the Month: Utility-Scale Edition

Unfortunate Solar Installation of the Month: Utility-Scale Edition

Eric Wesoff: April 30, 2012

Adventures in lousy O&M. Or a mid-development bankruptcy. This month’s winner is a seemingly neglected utility-scale solar farm in Germany.

What Do First Solar’s Plant Closures Say About Thin Film’s Competitiveness?

What Do First Solar’s Plant Closures Say About Thin Film’s Competitiveness?

MJ Shiao: April 30, 2012

The Chinese commodity crystalline pain train continues to wreak havoc on even industry-leading differentiated PV products.

Heliatek’s Organic Solar Cells Join PV Firms Setting Records in Efficiency

Heliatek’s Organic Solar Cells Join PV Firms Setting Records in Efficiency

Eric Wesoff: April 27, 2012

Despite dark times, we’re seeing record-setting PV performance across all materials systems, from Organic Solar Cells to CdTe to c-Si to CPV to CIGS to CIS to GaAs.

Slide Show: Is Thin-Film Solar Dead?

Slide Show: Is Thin-Film Solar Dead?

Eric Wesoff, MJ Shiao: April 27, 2012

Well, not dead, but in dire need of a transfusion, as per the GTM Research thin film report. Plus, a few words on First Solar.