Thursday, September 1, 2016

         HERE  COMES  THE SUN,  AND  THERE  IT GOES AGAIN

THE DARK SIDE OF WHY PV HAS GOTTEN SO CHEAP SO FAST- THE  ENERGY COLLECTIVE LISTS  REASONS WHY FORMER NEXT ENVIRONMENTAL PRESIDENT GORE HAS  BEEN QUIET OF LATE :

2014      Bankrupt, closed

  • Areva’s solar business (CSP) closed — Suffering through a Fukushima-inspired slowdown in reactor sales, Areva exited its concentrated solar power business. Areva’s solar unit consisted of the remains of the acquired startup Ausra. 
  • HelioVolt (CIGS thin-film PV) closed
  • LDK (vertically integrated module builder) filed for bankruptcy
  • Masdar PV (a-Si) closed its SunFab-based amorphous silicon PV factory in Germany.
  • SolarMax (PV inverters) — Swiss inverter maker SolarMax’s parent firm, Sputnik Engineering, filed for insolvency.
  • Sopogy (small-scale CSP) closed 
  • TEL (a-Si) withdrew from its a-Si solar business — 
  • Xunlight (a-Si) went bankrupt — Xunlight was adept at winning tax credits and government grants but never commercialized its roll-to-roll a-Si BIPV technology.

Acquisition, sale

  • Emcore’s CPV business — Suncore acquired the remaining interest in Emcore’s CPV business.
  • RSI (CdTe PV panels) sold to Chinese strategic —
  • Solar Junction (CPV semiconductors) sold to Saudi strategic — 
  • SAG Solarstrom, a bankrupt PV project developer, was sold to Shunfeng Photovoltaic, 

2009 to 2013    Bankrupt, closed, acquired

  • Advent Solar (emitter wrap-through Si) acquired by Applied Materials
  • Applied Solar (solar roofing) acquired by Quercus Trust
  • OptiSolar (a-Si on a grand scale) — OptiSolar’s utility projects were acquired by First Solar; its manufacturing line was sold to NovaSolar.
  • Ready Solar (PV installation) acquired by SunEdison
  • Solasta (nano-coaxial solar) closed
  • SV Solar (low-concentration PV) closed
  • Senergen (depositing silane onto free-form metallurgical-grade Si substrates) closed
  • Signet Solar (a-Si) bankrupt
  • Sunfilm (a-Si) bankrupt
  • Wakonda (GaAs) acquired by Siva
  • Oelmaier (Germany inverters) insolvent, bought by agricultural supplier Lehner Agrar
  • Q-Cells (c-Si) insolvent, acquired by Hanwha
  • Sharp (a-Si) backing away from a-Si, retiring 160 of its 320 megawatts in Japan
  • Solibro (CIGS) Q-Cells unit acquired by China’s Hanergy
  • Solon (c-Si) acquired by UAE’s Microsol  
  • Scheuten Solar (BIPV) bankrupt, then acquired by Aikosolar
  • Sunways (c-Si, inverters) bought by LDK, restructuring to focus on BIPV and storage
  • Agile Energy (project developer) acquired by RES Americas
  • Bosch (c-Si PV module) acquired by SolarWorld
  • Diehl (Germany inverters) division sold to Mutares AG
  • Conergy (c-Si module) — Astronergy, a part of China’s Chint Group, acquired Conergy’s PV module group
  • GE-Primestar (CdTe technology acquired from PrimeStar)  acquired by First Solar
  • Global Solar Energy (CIGS) acquired by Hanergy
  • Infinia (Stirling engine CSP) assets acquired by Israel’s Qnergy
  • MiaSolé (CIGS) acquired by China’s Hanergy  
  • NuvoSun (CIGS) acquired by Dow
  • Suntech Wuxi (c-Si) acquired by Shunfeng Photovoltaic International for $492 million
  • Twin Creeks (kerfless Si) IP and other assets acquired by GT Advanced Technology
  • Wuerth Solar (installer) business turned over to BayWa
  • Wuerth Solar (CIGS line) taken over by Manz
  • ZenithSolar (CHP) acquired by Suncore