Leading CdTe thin-film module manufacturer First Solar has started production of its large-area Series 6 modules at its first manufacturing plant in Malaysia and said it was nearing the start of production at a third facility as new orders in the second quarter almost reached 900MW.
As the solar industry has grown from a 50GW market to 100GW in just a few years, the desire to have differentiated production has increased, especially for companies entering the market or repositioning strategies.
SolarHome, an off-grid solar firm focused on Southeast Asia, has raised US$5 million to date, having recently closed a US$1 million convertible note offering with impact venture capital firm Insitor Impact Asia Fund.
NextEra Energy Partners (NEP) has added a total of 692MW of PV power plant projects, including Distributed Generation (DG) programs to its renewable energy project pipeline.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS has endorsed a third party market research report that has made the company the largest supplier of solar modules in Japan in 2017.
The Irish government has approved the country’s long-awaited Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), with the first auction set to take place in 2019 after state aid approval has been secured from the European Union.
Zimbabwean firm Karo Mining Holdings plans to build a 300MW solar project close to its new platinum mining operations west of Harare instead of its original plans for a 600MW coal-fired power plant, after discussions with the Zimbabwean government.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has secured an order for its ‘SmartWire Connection Technology’ (SWCT) from an international solar module manufacturer in Southeast Asia for use with heterojunction (HJ) solar cells.
