Taipei, Taiwan: Green Energy Technology to Start Thin Film Shipments in First Quarter. Taiwan-based, Green Energy Technology has started commercial production from its new Gen 8.5 thin film line, with plans to reach an annualized capacity of 30MW in the 1st quarter of 2009 and ramp to 50MW in 4th quarter of 2009.

Taipei, Taiwan: Linde Group Supplies Gases to Auria Thin Film Plant. As part of its continuing success in the rapidly growing solar sector, BOC Lien Hwa (BOCLH), has been selected to supply Auria Solar in Tainan.

Nanjing, China: China Sunergy Puts Additional Lines into Commercial Production. China Sunergy, a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, held an opening ceremony today for the 3rd stage production lines of China Sunergy at its Nanjing production base.

Tainan, Taiwan: Auria Solar Starts Thin Film Production. Taiwan's Auria Solar has started production of thin-film silicon solar modules using Oerlikon’s micromorph® technology.

Wuxi, China: Suntech Announces Accident at Production Facilities. Suntech Power has experienced an accident in its module production facilities. On November 28, 2008, seven Suntech employees were injured as a result of an accident that occurred due to the malfunction of a piece of module lamination equipment.

Sydney, Australia: BP Solar to Close Cell Manufacturing Plant. BP Solar will cease the production of solar photovoltaic power cells and panels from its manufacturing plant in Sydney Olympic park (Australia) at the end of March 2009.

Yasu City, Japan: Kyocera to Build New Cell Manufacturing Facility. Kyocera Corporation is to build a new large-scale solar cell manufacturing facility. The new plant, located in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, will be the Kyocera Group’s largest manufacturing facility in Japan.

Shanghai, China: Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing to Set Up Module Facility in China. Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing USA, a U.S.-based China engineering and manufacturing company today announced the establishment of a new solar module production and R&D facility.

Singapore: REC Breaks Ground on Singapore Manufacturing Site. Norway's Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) outlined its commitment as a major partner in the development of Singapore's clean energy industry at the official launch of its manufacturing site in Tuas due to start operations in 2010.

Bedford, MA, USA: Spire to Provide 30 MW Solar Cell Manufacturing Line to Korea. Spire Corporation has been awarded a contract to provide a Spi-Line 30C complete turnkey factory to produce up to 30 megawatts per year of high efficiency solar cells for Hanwha Chemical Corporation (Hanwha).

Tokyo, Japan: Nippon Oil and Sanyo to Establish Thin Film Joint Venture. Nippon Oil Corporation and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. have reached a basic agreement to explore the possibility of establishing a joint company to handle the expected expansion and development of the thin-film solar cell market.

Bedford, MA, USA: Spire to Provide Turnkey Solar Module Manufacturing Line in India. Spire Corporation has received a contract from GreenBrilliance to provide a turnkey photovoltaic module assembly line for that company's operation in India.

Isseroda, Germany: Asola in Korean Manufacturing Joint Venture. Asola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint venture manufacturing plant in South Korea, to enable production and distribution of high quality, German-designed solar modules in South Korea.

Xinyu City, China: LDK Solar Signs Polysilicon Reactor Agreement. LDK Solar has signed a new agreement with GT Solar to purchase polysilicon CVD reactors for installation in LDK Solar's manufacturing facilities in Xinyu City, Peoples Republic of China.

Taoyuan, Taiwan: Sunwell Starts Thin Film Production. Sunwell, a wholly owned subsidiary of CMC Magnetics (Taiwan), has started mass production at its Taiwan based thin film PV plant. In the past month more than 10,000 solar panels were produced with an Oerlikon Solar end-to-end fabrication solution.

Merrimack, NH, USA: GT Solar Signs $173 Million Contract With DC Chemical. GT Solar has signed a $173 million contract with DC Chemical. Under the terms of the agreement, GT Solar will provide DC Chemical with polysilicon CVD reactors, which are used to manufacture polysilicon, a key raw material utilized to produce solar cells.

Erfurt, Germany: ersol Solar Energy to Triple Cell Production Capacity. Together with ersol Solar Energy AG, the Bosch Group intends to expand its manufacturing capacity for crystalline solar cells and modules in Arnstadt, Germany.

Freiburg, Germany: Concentrix Solar Inaugurates Concentrator PV Manufacturing Plant. Concentrix Solar today officially inaugurated its new concentrator PV manufacturing plant. Concentrix Solar GmbH was founded in February 2005 as a spin-off company of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

Tubbach, Switzerland: Oerlikon Solar Brings Micromorph® to Mass Production. Oerlikon Solar said today that Inventux Technologies AG is now the world’s first manufacturer to implement Oerlikon’s micromorph® technology for the mass-production of thin-film silicon solar modules.

Lyss, Switzerland: 3S Swiss Solar Systems Delivers its First Turnkey, Semi-Automatic Production Line. 3S Swiss Solar Systems AG, a supplier of production equipment for the manufacture of solar modules, has handed over a semi-automatic production line to the Spanish company Eurener Energia Solar.

Beijing, China: Linde to Supply Gases to Three Thin Film Manufacturing Plants. Technology company, The Linde Group, has been awarded new multi-million US-dollar contracts from three thin film manufacturers in China.

Burghausen, Germany: Polysilicon Facilities Start Up at Wacker's Burghausen Site. Additional polycrystalline-silicon production facilities officially came on stream at Wacker Chemie AG’s Burghausen site yesterday.

Munich, Germany: Wacker to Raise Polysilicon Capacity. Wacker Chemie AG is planning to construct a new polysilicon production plant at its Nünchritz site (Saxony, Germany) with a nominal annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons.

Budapest, Hungary: Energosolar Delivers Equipment for Bulgarian Thin-film Factory. Energosolar has started to ship the first production equipment for Solar Pro’s new amorphous silicon (aSi) thin-film PV module manufacturing plant in Bulgaria.

Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany: Solibro to Build Thin Film Manufacturing Facility. Solibro GmbH is to build its new manufacturing plant for photovoltaic modules, with a production capacity of 90 MWp, in Solar Valley Thalheim in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany.

New York, NY, USA: Solar Thin Films Schedules Equipment Delivery for Thin Film Manufacturing Plant. Solar Thin Films, Inc, a manufacturer of equipment for the production of amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic modules, has received $3.6 million from Grupo Unisolar, S.A.

Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany: Solibro Starts Shipments of CIGS Modules. Solibro GmbH has started shipments to customers of its CIGS thin film solar modules.

Munich, Germany: Linde Nippon Sanso to Power Spain's First Thin Film Solar Plant. Linde Nippon Sanso has been awarded the exclusive contract to supply high purity gases to Spain's first thin film solar cell manufacturing plant set up by T-Solar S.A. in Ourense, Galicia, Spain.

Santa Fe, NM, USA: Signet Solar to Build 65MW Thin Film Manufacturing Plant. Governor Bill Richardson today announced Signet Solar will build the company’s first North American solar panel production facility in Belen.

Sandvika, Norway: REC Provides Update on Polysilicon Expansion. Yesterday, REC advised that the company formally accepted and took control over the entire FBR-area and all related equipment at the new polysilicon plant under construction in Moses Lake, Washington in early December.

Hemlock, MI, USA: Hemlock Joint Ventures to Invest up to $3 Billion to Expand Polysilicon Production. The Hemlock Semiconductor Group will invest up to $3.0 billion to expand polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) production, a key raw material used to manufacture solar cells and semiconductor devices.

Merrimack, NH, USA: GT Solar Reduces Workforce at Merrimack Facility. GT Solar is reducing its production workforce at the company’s Merrimack solar furnace operations by 25 employees.

Atlanta, GA, USA: Suniva Opens Cell Manufacturing Plant. At a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, Suniva officially opened the first solar factory in the Southeastern US with the help of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue

San Jose, CA, USA: Silicon Genesis Starts Pilot Production of “Kerf-free” PV Wafers. Silicon Genesis has started production of the first ever kerf-free 150um solar-cell substrates at its new solar development and pilot production facility.

Berlin, Germany: Solon Inaugurates Module Manufacturing Plant in Arizona. SOLON AG's state-of-the-art production facility for solar modules came on stream today in Tucson, Arizona.

San Diego, CA, USA: Sanyo to Construct US Manufacturing Plant. Sanyo North America Corporation will construct a new plant for the manufacture of silicon ingot and solar wafers in the Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Park.