Top 10 GUNTHER Portfolio Photovoltaic Posts of 2011

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The State of the Blog is strong as twitter Followers more than doubled to 2910 through organic growth although Blog RSS and email subscribers were flat per FeedBurner.

   

Securing Silicon Metal for Solar

OCI subsidiary Elpion is building a 100000 Metric Ton (MT) silicon metal plant in Malaysia.

Backing their global #1 polysilicon market share ambitions, the OCI Company Ltd. (SEO:010060) Q1 2011 Financial Results presentation detailed the investment by subsidiary Elpion Co., Ltd. in a 100000 MT per year capacity silicon metal (metallurgical silicon, mg-Si) plant being built in Banting, Malaysia, “to diversify supply sources”.

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Photovoltaic Polysilicon Conundrum

Polysilicon in oversupply until 2018 but does high quality polysilicon (Poly-Si) supply remain tight?
Polysilicon spot prices easing after a 10 GW (GigaWatt) solar module inventory build up and may fall below long-term contract prices in 2011.

Solar Polysilicon Oversupply until 2013? has been a popular post since last year as polysilicon spot prices jumped in response to photovoltaic (PV) module demand driven by planned or expected Feed-in Tariff reductions and maybe even the original 2010 expiration of the US Treasury Grant Program.

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Of Silicon Metal, Solar Grade, and PV-1201

Silicon metal production and pricing has recovered driven by base industries, electronics, and Photovoltaic (PV) solar demand.

What about the Globe Specialty Metals and Dow Corning deal?

Dow Corning has been quiet about Upgraded Metallurgical Silicon (UMG-Si).

Propelling metallurgical silicon (mg-Si) back into the spotlight, Timminco Limited (TSE:TIM) announced “Timminco Pursuing Opportunities to Expand Silicon Metal Production” on Tuesday followed by “Timminco Announces Long-Term Contracts for Silicon Metal Supply” backing their exploratory greenfield plans for a geothermal powered, 50000 MT (Metric Ton) silicon metal production

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Solar Polysilicon Oversupply until 2013?

Tweet Hemlock Semiconductor forecasts Global Polysilicon Supply capacity will exceed Solar Demand until at least 2013. “There will be a surplus of silicon supply for the next several years.” From Intersolar North America Hemlock Semiconductor Group Vice President Gary Homan presented “The Silicon Supply Chain” just after CaliSolar at Intersolar North America last month. Beginning [...]