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
- EPV Solar (a-Si) bankrupt
- Evergreen (drawn Si) bankrupt
- Solyndra (CIGS) bankrupt
- SpectraWatt (c-Si) bankrupt
- Stirling Energy Systems (dish engine) bankrupt
- Ascent Solar (CIGS) acquired by TFG Radiant
- Calyxo (CdTe) acquired by Solar Fields from Q-Cells
- HelioVolt (CIGS) acquired by Korea’s SK Innovation
- National Semiconductor Solar Magic (panel optimizers) exited systems business
- NetCrystal (silicon on flexible substrate) acquired by Solar Semiconductor
- Soliant (CPV) acquired by Emcore
- Abound Solar (CdTe) bankrupt
- AQT (CIGS) closed
- Ampulse (thin silicon) closed
- Arise Technology (PV modules) bankrupt
- Azuray (microinverters) closed
- BP (c-Si panels) exits solar business
- Centrotherm (PV manufacturing equipment) bankrupt and restructured
- CSG (c-Si on glass) closed by Suntech
- Day4 Energy (cell interconnects) delisted from TSX exchange
- ECD (a-Si) bankrupt
- Energy Innovations (CPV) bankrupt
- Flexcell (a-Si roll-roll BIPV) closed
- Gadir Solar (a-Si PV) Spain-based customer of Oerlikon Solar closed
- GlobalWatt (solar) closed
- GreenVolts (CPV) closed
- G24i (DSCs) bankrupt in 2012, re-emerged as G24i Power with new investors
- Hoku (polysilicon) shut down its Idaho polysilicon production facility
- Inventux (a-Si) bankrupt
- Konarka (OSCs) bankrupt
- Odersun (CIGS) bankrupt
- Pramac (a-Si panels built with Oerlikon) insolvent
- Pairan (Germany inverters) insolvent
- Ralos (developer) bankrupt
- REC Wafer (c-Si) bankrupt
- Satcon (BoS) bankrupt
- Schott (c-Si) exits c-Si business
- Schuco (a-Si) shutting down its a-Si business
- Sencera (a-Si) closed
- Siliken (c-Si modules) closed
- Skyline Solar (LCPV) closed
- Siemens (CSP, inverters, BOS) divestment from solar
- Solar Millennium (developer) insolvent
- Solarhybrid (developer) insolvent
- Sovello (Q-Cells, Evergreen, REC JV) bankrupt
- SolarDay (c-Si modules) insolvent
- Solar Power Industries (PV modules) bankrupt
- Soltecture (CIGS BIPV) bankrupt
- Sun Concept (developer) bankrupt
- 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
- Array Converter (Module-level power electronics) bankrupt, IP to VC investor
- Avancis (CIGS) discontinuing production
- Bosch (c-Si PV module) exits module business
- Concentrator Optics (CPV) bankrupt
- Cyrium (CPV semiconductors) bankrupt
- Direct Grid (microinverters) closed
- GreenRay (microinverters) closed
- Helios Solar (c-Si modules) bankrupt
- Hoku Solar (silicon) bankrupt
- Honda Soltec (CIGS thin-film modules) closing
- Infinia (Stirling engine CSP) bankrupt
- Nanosolar (CIGS) closed
- Pythagoras Solar (BIPV) closed
- Solarion (CIGS) went bankrupt but restructured and in limited production
- SolFocus (CPV) bankrupt
- Sunsil (module level electronics) closed
- Suntech Wuxi (c-Si) bankrupt
- Tioga (project developer) closed
- Willard & Kelsey (CdTe panels) bankrupt
- ZenithSolar (CHP) bankrupt
- 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
