The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Northeast Japan on March 11 and the tsunami that followed later killed thousands and devastated huge parts of the country. In the process, multiple nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station were damaged; two of them have already partially melted down, and the cooling system at a third has failed.
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Category Archives: Solar
Applied Materials is First PV Equipment Supplier to Reach US$1B in Revenue
By Finlay Colville – Senior Analyst, Solarbuzz and Charles Annis – Vice President, Manufacturing Research, DisplaySearch
As originally featured on PV-Tech.org on November 17, 2010, our analysis reveals that Applied Materials (AMAT) has just reached a significant landmark. They are the first equipment supplier to reach and exceed the US$1 billion barrier for PV-specific trended Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) tool revenues. This is based on AMAT FY2010 results, which reported fourth-quarter net sales within its Energy & Environmental Services (EES) segment (includes PV tool revenues) of US$606 million. In spite of the dwindling backlog and subsequent discontinuation of one of its flagship PV-specific products, AMAT’s PV revenues have stabilized at, and then considerably exceeded, the US$1 billion trended TTM level.
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Investment Deals Indicate Potential for Advanced Materials in Displays and Solar Cells
By Paul Semenza – Senior Vice President, Analyst Services, DisplaySearch
This week saw two deals involving Asian manufacturers investing in venture-backed Silicon Valley companies that have been developing advanced materials applicable to displays and solar cells, among other applications. Both of these companies have been in business for a decade or more, raised tens of millions of dollars, and amassed large patent portfolios, and have also lived through the “hype cycle” surrounding the printable electronics and nanomaterials segments.
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Applied Materials Turn-Key Exit Highlights Control Held by Top-Tier Cell Makers in PV Tool Adoption
By Finlay Colville – Senior Analyst, Solarbuzz and Charles Annis – Vice President, Manufacturing Research, DisplaySearch
Applied Materials has more experience depositing high quality silicon thin films on large glass substrates than any other company in the world, based on its PECVD tools for the production of TFT LCDs. So it seemed to offer a credible solution to the desire to add solar cell capacity despite the silicon shortage over the past few years: the SunFab™ turn-key Thin Film Si (TF Si) line, which could produce the biggest solar modules in the world. But Applied Materials struggled to sign up customers, and on July 21, announced it was discontinuing sales of its SunFab lines to new customers.
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Equipment Makers Showcase Bold Advancements at PVJapan 2010
By Charles Annis, Vice President of Asia Operations, Solarbuzz
On June 29, Solarbuzz revised its 2010 demand forecast up nearly 40% to 15.2 GW. The worldwide PV market is now expected to more than double in size this year! The solar industry is in the midst of yet another tremendous up cycle. Excitement about end market demand was clearly evident on the floor of PVJapan 2010, held in Yokohama from June 30 through July 2. But optimistic PV supply chain companies are anything but complacent.
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