China-based independent PV power producer GCL New Energy (GCLNE) ended 2016 with 87 grid-connected solar power plants with a total capacity of 3,156MW.
Dedicated PV quality assurance services firm STS-Certified said it had performed quality inspection services on solar modules totalling over 1.5GW in 2016, with the expectation of almost 3.0GW of inspections in 2017.
Ingeteam has launched its new PV string inverter, which will make it possible to achieve a power output of 100kWAC in a single, 75kg unit. This new three-phase inverter comes under the name ‘INGECON SUN 100TL’, and is suitable for indoor and outdoor installations and is primarily directed at commercial, industrial and large-scale projects.
China-based PV manufacturer Yingli Green Energy and industrial technology partners, Dutch research centre ECN and equipment manufacturer Tempress, a subsidiary of Amtech Systems have fabricated their first IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) n-type solar cells on 6-inch monocrystalline wafers at the manufacturer's pilot line in China.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies expects to double sales in 2017 after its new order backlog in 2016 reached €109.9 million, a 310% increase over the previous year.
China-based PV energy provider (PVEP) United Photovoltaics Group reported a 58% increase in revenue for 2016, driven primarily by the addition of 415.4MW of new PV power plants under ownership.
Major PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology came through another tough year with unit volume sold a record 8.23GW in 2016 but ASP pressure ensured sales were down. The bright spot was its commercial solar business unit, which bucked lower sales in the residential and utility-scale sectors with 27% growth, year-on-year.
Leading fully-integrated high-efficiency monocrystalline module manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology recently reported record total shipments and revenue for 2016, making it the fastest growing PV manufacturer in the industry.
Monocrystalline wafer producer Comtec Solar Systems Group has more than doubled expected losses for 2016, due to further write-downs on its Malaysia manufacturing facility with the pending sale of the facility to leading mono wafer supplier, LONGi Green Energy Technology.
Updated: US-based high-efficiency module manufacturer Suniva, majority owned by Chinese diversified renewables firm Shunfeng International Clean Energy (SFCE) is to carry out a number of unspecified job cuts across its operations, according to a company statement.
