Mark Osborne has nearly three decades of experience in covering both the semiconductor and photovoltaics manufacturing industries. In his current roles as senior news editor for PV Tech and sister technical journal, Photovoltaics International, Mark covers the key developments in the PV industry on a global level and continues to provide insight and analysis via his editor's blog.
US-headquartered High-efficiency solar module manufacturer SunPower Corp has officially announced that it has acquired Hillsboro, Oregon-based PV manufacturer, SolarWorld Americas. Financial details were not disclosed.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS said it had supplied 35,073 ‘Q.PLUS’ BFR-G4.1 multicrystalline modules to a 10MW PV power plant built by renewables firm Energiekontor in Brandenburg, Germany.
Australia-based perovskite solar cell developer GreatCell Solar, formerly Dyesol has recently secured European Union (EU) funding of €500,000 (approximately A$800K) through the Horizon 2020 project.
US-based PV installer RGS Energy (RGSE), which acquired exclusive rights to Dow Chemical’s third generation (3.0) solar shingles under the ‘POWERHOUSE’ brand, but using conventional crystalline silicon solar cells rather than the original CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide) thin-film substrates, has included China-based PV manufacturer, Risen Energy as a key supplier.
Nanoelectronics R&D organisation imec has been appointed as the lead to a three-year €5 million EU funded R&D program on perovskite solar cells that brings together a number of European research and commercial partners.
According to GTM Research, global solar PV installations are expected to surpass 104GW in 2018, despite the top four markets, including China, forecasted to decline collectively by 7%.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Canadian Solar has sold its interest in the Guimarania solar energy project in Brazil to Global Power Generation, subsidiary of Spanish energy group Gas Natural Fenosa as it continues to monetize PV power plant projects in the country.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has teamed with PV manufacturing equipment specialist, SCHMID Group on lower cost BIPV modules that could reduce production costs by as much as 35%.
Leading PV inverter manufacturer Huawei is supplying its string inverters to a 75MW fully-digitalized utility-scale PV project in Brazil, said to be the first of its kind in the country.
The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set a new R&D goal to develop a commercially viable thin-film-on-silicon tandem solar cell with 30% conversion efficiencies.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS reported 5,438MW of modules recognised as revenue in 2017, up 18.7% from 2016. However, revenue was US$2,177.4 million, a decrease of 10.2% from 2016.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS said it had discontinued its ingot and wafer manufacturing operations in the fourth quarter of 2017, due to the wafer operations being unprofitable.
German-based CdTe thin-film module manufacturer Calyxo GmbH has entered insolvency proceedings in Thalheim, Germany.
Leading polysilicon and multicrystalline wafer producer GCL-Poly Energy Holdings is planning to build a 20GW monocrystalline silicon ingot manufacturing facility in Qujing, China.
