A growing regulatory burden on PV mounting manufacturers in the US has prompted some of the leading players to set up a new trade body to represent their interests. Ben Willis reports on how the new body’s members hope to turn back the rising tide of red tape.
Solar PV manufacturing in 2016 has seen the highest capex (capital expenditure) levels for years, and a return to capacity expansion plans. Furthermore, many of the companies announcing the capacity expansions are doing so for the first time, especially at the cell and module stage.
Canadian Solar has introduced a new suite of 1500V system voltage monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar modules in 60-cell and 72-cell configurations as well as a T4 field-installable PV connector portfolio for commercial and utility-scale PV power plants. The products were launched at Intersolar North America 2016.
After the 630 installation rush, enterprises, industry experts and investors began to think about the next trend for Chinese PV industry. It is predicted by senior staff from an investment company, that 2017’s plant development would be tripartite by the top runners (leading group) projects, distributed systems and poverty alleviating PV programmes.
Indian solar PV manufacturing is beginning to make headway after a significant module capacity increase in the last year. PV Tech caught up with Ivan Saha, president and chief technical officer of India-based manufacturer Vikram Solar for an industry update.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Morgan Solar is one of the industry's last remaining concentrated PV firms. It recently appointed Celestica's Mike Andrade as its new CEO, who discussed with PV Tech the place for such technologies, that are traditionally more expensive and harder to scale than conventional PV.
The solar segment is not short of new hires and comings and goings, with solar industry stakeholders responding to the shifts in a dynamic global market. In our inaugural Movers & Shakers segment, PV Tech attempts to bring the industry back to its roots and rounds up key career moves of the last fortnight.
India's prowling monkeys are infamous for thieving cameras off unsuspecting tourists at the Hanuman temples of Hampi and the mountain city of Shimla, but they’ve now found a new target – the rooftop solar sector. Tom Kenning looks at some key challenges unique to the Indian PV industry.
New research undertaken by the in-house research team at Solar Media Ltd. reveals that 2017 is expected to be the year that Longi Silicon Materials (incorporating its subsidiary LERRI Photovoltaic Technology) finally moves into the upper echelon of solar PV manufacturers.
Huawei Technologies decided to enter the PV inverter market, bringing its ICT know-how and hardware to a market already burdened by overcapacity and declining margins. In a few short years, instead of floundering, Huawei soon became the market leader in China.
