Solar cell production in 2018 represented change on many fronts, but may be remembered as a year during which Chinese-owned companies made further strategic moves as part of the current Beijing mandate to position the country as a high-tech manufacturing global powerhouse.
Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co has launched two differentiated high-efficiency N-type mono PV modules. The new products, the JW-HT&HD Series ‘Paving’ module boasts a front power of 430W, efficiency of 20.5%, integrated power of 530W with efficiency of 25.4%, as well as a rear power gain of 30%. The JW-HF Series ultra-light flexible module weighs 3.75kg per sqm, due to the advanced composite encapsulation materials.
US-headquartered high-efficiency solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp has started changing its long-held strategy of supplying only its in-house produced E Series and X Series panels to residential and C&I (Commerical and Industrial) PV projects in the US.
Just when it looked like the underlining trend for Tesla’s shift away from using third party mainstream solar panel suppliers was set in stone, as manufacturing partner Panasonic started ramping Gigafactory 2 production, the latest data for the third quarter of 2018, goes completely in a different direction.
Inverter and smart energy manufacturer SolarEdge has a back catalogue of solar-themed parody videos but this year’s effort, Solar Joy, has raised the bar.
Uruguay has decided to power its Antarctic base with solar power. Marcelo Mula, executive director at the installer Tecnogroup, explains the challenges as the company prepares to upscale the test array to 100kW in 2019.
SPONSORED: As inverters become smarter and more diverse in their function, so too must inverter manufacturers. Lior Handelsman, SolarEdge founder and the firm's vice president of marketing and product strategy, explains why.
After disappointing beginnings, India's rooftop solar market is now thriving with 75% year-on-year growth. PV Tech caught up with Ron Shen, vice president, international sales and service centre at China-based PV inverter supplier GoodWe, to discuss knock-on effects of safeguard duties on modules, price pressure and market growth.
PV Tech caught up with Ku Junheong, senior sales director, Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME) at China-based PV manufacturer Trina Solar, to discuss global demand profile and the rising markets of Southeast Asia.
Earlier this year, the African Development Bank announced plans to facilitate 10GW of solar across the barren, semi-arid Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa. PV Tech investigated how increasing human pressure on the land and the widespread cutting down of trees for wood and charcoal for fuel can be alleviated by solar PV technology.
