This is the final installment of a listing (with links for the full story) of the most read stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2010, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Power Electronics Industry.
10: Growth of Global Solar Market Spurs Spate of Plans for US PV Production Facilities
Highlighting a spate of announcements the last few months by global companies to open solar manufacturing facilities in the US, Kyocera Solar, Inc. of Japan announced plans to begin manufacturing solar modules in San Diego, California. The new solar module manufacturing will begin during the first half of 2010, with an initial production target of 30MW per year. The production venue was selected to cater specifically to the U.S. market’s increasing demand for large-scale solar electric generating systems.
The full story can be found here.
9: Innotech Solar Announces Partnership With Bosch Solar; Plans for Factory in Germany
Norwegian company Innotech Solar (ITS) has signed a multi-year framework agreement with Bosch Solar to sell the majority of its non-prime crystalline solar cells to ITS. With its proprietary processes, ITS states that it will increase the efficiency of the solar cells and use them in solar modules, power plants and special applications.
The full story can be found here.
8: Emerson Network Power Combines Aperture and Avocent Businesses Into New Division for Data Center Infrastructure
Emerson Network Power announced it is combining its Aperture and new Avocent businesses as a new division focused on helping data center customers better manage their infrastructure. This announcement follows the December news that Emerson’s completed its Avocent acquisition.
The full story can be found here.
7: Panasonic Invests $30 Million in Tesla
Panasonic Corp. and Tesla Motors announced that Panasonic has invested $30 million in Tesla. The investment was made through the purchase of Tesla common stock in a private placement at a price of $21.15 per share. The investment builds upon a multi-year collaboration of the two companies to accelerate the market expansion of the electric vehicle.
The full story can be found here.
6: GE Sees Bright Future for Thin Film Solar Technology
GE announced it is focusing its research and development efforts on thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology in conjunction with PrimeStar Solar Inc., the startup firm in which GE is a majority investor. Working closely with PrimeStar technology experts, the company is bringing to bear the full scale of its four Global Research operations to address each of the challenges required to bring a new product to market.
The full story can be found here.
5: Jury Finds in Favor of SynQor in Patent Litigation
SynQor, Inc. announced that it has prevailed in its patent litigation suit against industry suppliers of unregulated and semi-regulated bus converters used in Intermediate Bus Architecture applications (SynQor, Inc. v. Artesyn Technologies, Inc. et al.)
The full story can be found here.
4: Alpha & Omega Files For $91 Million IPO
Various media outlets are reporting that Alpha & Omega Semiconductor Ltd. (AOS) has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering (IPO) worth approximately $91 million.
The full story can be found here.
3: Mitsubishi Electric Develops New Photovoltaic Inverter Technology to Maximize Solar Power Output
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced that it has developed what it describes as the world’s first technology to maximize output power in photovoltaic (PV) systems by incorporating a new maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) system in PV inverters.
The full story can be found here.
2: Constellation NewEnergy Launches VirtuWatt Real-Time Energy Management Product
Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, launched its new energy management product, VirtuWatt™, described as a unique combination of hardware and online applications that allows customers to manage and optimize electricity usage in real-time and lower their energy bills by reducing consumption during peak pricing periods.
The full story can be found here.
1: Google Leads Opposition to Proposed ASHRAE Data Center Standard
The following letter was issued on the Google blog, expressing concerns regarding new efficiency requirements being proposed by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in its ASHRAE Standard 90.1 amendment.
The full story can be found here.
