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Polysilicon ferocious rally recently, before the domestic spot price has risen to 70 U.S. dollars / kg, the industry is expected to end or rose 100 U.S. dollars / kg. In this regard, it not help think of 2008, 500 U.S. dollars / kg of high price. High price will happen again? Impact on the industry, how, how the way of polysilicon?

Lower this year, greatly increased the demand for photovoltaic cells, is worth polysilicon call an important reason. In this regard, this site was informed that polysilicon rally round 50 dollars from the end of last year / kg bottoming out, but domestic production is still excess demand for short-term stimulus is not a continuation of polysilicon is expected to continue rising up to six months, or up to 30% will not be much impact on the industry. The long term, polysilicon thin film and other new materials or alternative path nikon EN-EL4 charger nikon EN-EL4a charger .

Or put a temporary rebound in long-term

Industry sources say that the domestic spot price of polysilicon has more than 70 U.S. dollars. Domestic polysilicon manufacturer, a large media executives confirmed that “as far as I know, no surprise rise above 70 dollars. In the end of this year, polysilicon spot prices rise above 100 U.S. dollars will not be much problem.” The executive said, ” downstream of this year (ie, crystalline silicon PV cells and battery components business) greatly increased demand, the original view that the European market as Germany and Spain reducing subsidies occur demand declined significantly in the case, it now appears we were overreacting. in fact Europe market demand is still growing, but growth rate down. ”

Director of Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Yasuharu He Ping accepted an interview with the South have said the current round of rising polysilicon prices are actually relatively rebound before the battered, but is not expected to go up a long, sustained rally up to six months, or up to 20% to 30%.

He Ping analysis, in May 2008, polysilicon spot price shot up to 500 U.S. dollars per kg, but then dropped, the end of 2009, polysilicon spot price fell to around 50 dollars. Recent polysilicon up to 70 U.S. dollars / kg, from the bottom up, but once again rise to the possibility of a few hundred dollars a kilogram of almost zero. Domestic production of polysilicon large listed companies such as Suntech, performance is not good, industry competition is still fierce.

“Short-term rise, long-term are not optimistic.” Xiamen University, China Energy Economic Research Center director Lin Boqiang told reporters Southern, the current round of inflation is restorative, mainly stimulated by the short-term factors, one European government will abolish subsidies for solar industry, related companies rush to buy time for the subsidy is abolished, leading to rising demand; Second, China’s second batch of 280 MW PV power station tender, have stimulated demand. But in the long term, the current production capacity of polysilicon in China remains a serious surplus, which is why the state will limit the production of polysilicon. Even so, no new projects are put into the original project is excess capacity, “so-called capacity planning to say, is wrong.”

Polysilicon or phased out

Crystalline silicon cells and the downstream crystalline silicon battery components manufacturers, the crystalline silicon raw material price increases, its performance and gross margin will be adversely affected. Zhejiang Chint Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Strategic Marketing Manager Hu Wan-book an interview that the company is bearing the upstream silicon raw material price increases cost pressures. If the polysilicon continued to rise, then the first half of next year, the industry may go into difficulties, but this time not very long NB-2L NB-2LH .

However, an interview about the situation, most of polysilicon is expected to continue to rally round the end, will not last until next year. Xiamen University, China Energy Economic Research Center director Lin Boqiang that even the year after next year, polysilicon will not rise, the state will continue to limit the capacity of the industry.

Moreover, new technologies, new materials is likely to replace silicon. Director of Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Yasuharu He Ping told reporters Southern, polysilicon is still high pollution and high energy consumption products, conversion rate, and consumption of resources is bound to be phased out. Now there’s silicon-based films, many with high conversion rate will be the future. Xiamen University, China Energy Economic Research Center director Lin Boqiang also said the new energy sector development of new technologies very quickly, once the new technological breakthrough, polycrystalline silicon will not be mainstream.

Actually, some companies have begun restructuring the industry, not to its polysilicon production or as raw materials. Involved in solar energy, the new Austrian Southern Group spokesman told reporters that the company will use solar power silicon thin film components, instead of polysilicon.

Controversy or lack of excess production capacity of polysilicon?

Polysilicon price gains this round, the industry, there are two voices, one that the domestic capacity planning, price will rise; The other is that excess capacity, gains not sustainable. Whether the excess production capacity of polysilicon, the key is to judge, but arguments have not yet taken.

September 2009, the central authorities issued a notice, finds that polysilicon production capacity surplus. Xiamen University, China Energy Centre for Economic Research and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Commission Director Lin Boqiang Ni Weidou have accepted an interview with the South believed that the industry overcapacity, low-level redundant construction to excess most of the companies relied on all eating of government subsidies, the actual efficiency is poor NB-4L NB-5L .

However, domestic high-quality polysilicon still rely heavily on import. The industry believes that “excess capacity on the” take the letter are planning capacity, and far from actual output. The construction of the project with the polysilicon production technology cycle longer relevant, on the other hand, due process and technical reasons, planning capacity may not be able to form the actual output.

NDRC Energy Research Institute, Li Junfeng, deputy director of media interviews that the Government of the polysilicon industry overcapacity determine the actual control of the new energy industry is the low level duplicated construction emerged, on the high level of productivity is still supportive. The domestic production of polysilicon, the biggest problem is the key technology and equipment is still not fully grasp.

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine: Sony is not only branding its own line of SD cards, but also most of its point-and-shoot cameras and camcorders for 2010 actually have combo slots that can take SD cards in addition to Sony’s hopefully-dying-soon Memory Stick Duo cards. The laptop battery company’s dSLRs have long been SD- and CompactFlash-friendly.

For the purposes of digital cameras and camcorders, Memory Stick has always been more expensive yet slower than its SD competitors. Though we long ago resigned ourselves to the knowledge that buying Sony meant buying Memory Stick, we still get e-mails from readers complaining that we fail to highlight the need for Memory Stick Duo as a “con” in our Latitude D520 battery reviews.

And that’s just the tip of the dying-media iceberg. Long in a similar position, Olympus has also added SD support to its snapshot cameras, which have been hobbled by proprietary xD-Picture Cards. While Sony and Panasonic have each announced a couple of hard-drive camcorders, no one is offering new DVD-based models, and Canon has gone completely flash. (While hard drives allow for high capacities on the cheap, hard drives are more prone to failure than most media and their relatively large size makes for bulky devices.)

In other SD news, Panasonic announced the first SDXC cards (In my CES preview, I embarrassingly predicted that we absolutely wouldn’t see any SDXC stuff, so of course it’s everywhere.) Most of the camcorders announced at the show and at least Canon’s snapshot cameras incorporate support for the new format. Panasonic’s first shipping cards will be rated Class 10 in 48GB and 64GB capacities–at admittedly high initial prices of $449.95 and $599.95, respectively–and use the company’s proprietary, error-correction optimized controller technology. They’ll be available in February. Toshiba PA3176U-1BRS also announced its 64GB SDXC card, but with a vaguer second quarter ship date and no pricing.

The SDXC format, announced a year ago, technically supports capacities up to 2TB and is theoretically capable of a bandwidth of 300 megabytes per second (should we call it “Class 300?”). Right now, no camcorders require much past Class 6-equivalent performance, including Class 10 cards with their 10 megabyte per second performance floor, but the higher capacity will certain come in handy in the interim.

Eastman Kodak on Thursday announced that it has filed legal complaints against Apple  and Research in Motion alleging patent infringement.

The photo company claims the camera technology used in Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry to preview images infringes on a digital imaging patent owned by Kodak. In a complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Kodak is asking that certain mobile phones with digital cameras be excluded from import unless the laptop battery company can reach a fair method of compensation with Apple and RIM.

“In the case of Apple and RIM, we’ve had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement,” said Laura Quatela, Kodak’s chief intellectual property officer, in a statement. “In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology.”

To further back up its claims, Kodak has also filed two lawsuits against Apple in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In the first suit, Kodak is alleging that Apple is violating two patents related to image preview and the ability to process images of different resolutions Latitude D410 battery.

In the second suit, Kodak claims infringement by Apple in a process by which one computer program can call on another to carry out certain functions. The first suit relates specifically to the iPhone, while the second is being targeted against any Apple product using that specific process.

In pursuing these lawsuits, Kodak seems to have the benefit of legal precedence on its side. The patents described in the second suit were the same ones that played a role in the lawsuit that Kodak filed against Sun Microsystems in 2002. That suit alleged that certain technologies found in Sun’s Java programming environment violated three Kodak patents. After two years in the courts, the case was finally settled in favor of Kodak, which received payment from Sun in return for a license to use the Latitude D420 battery technologies in question.

In a more recent case, Kodak filed a complaint in 2008 with the ITC against Samsung, alleging that certain Samsung mobile phones equipped with cameras infringed on Kodak patents. In December, an ITC judge ruled in favor of Kodak, finding that Samsung had violated the patents. On Wednesday, the two companies apparently shook hands to set up a cross-licensing deal, thereby stopping all pending lawsuits and legal action. As a result of the settlement, Kodak will receive royalties from Samsung.

In its actions against both Apple and RIM, Kodak is seeking damages and a halt to the patent infringement but seems hopeful the cases can be settled without much legal hassle.

“We remain open to negotiating a fair and amicable agreement with both Apple and RIM, which has always been our preference and our practice with other licensees,” Quatela said. “We seek to avoid litigation in our licensing programs whenever possible. But when the infringement is persistent, we will act to defend the interests of our Latitude D430 battery shareholders and licensees, and to promote the fair compensation that is the bedrock of innovation.”