US-headquartered high-efficiency PV module producer SunPower Corp is expecting to sell further assets and increase its loans in 2019 to avert bankruptcy due to looming liquidity issues as the company expects to remain loss making next year, while current net losses in the first nine months of 2018 have reached US$745.3 million.
Leading ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has acknowledged its recognition as a ‘Top Performer’ in DNV GL's 2018 PV Module Reliability Scorecard results, which were announced at SNEC in China in May.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member GCL System Integrated Technology Co (GCL-SI) is planning to sell up to RMB 1.0 billion (US$144 million) of sales invoices to a third party at a discount to improve its cash flow position.
PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the second quarter of 2018, were slightly higher than the previous quarter, although activity slumped specifically in June, after China’s decision to suddenly cap utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) projects (531 New Deal). But large-scale multi-gigawatt production plans in the first half of the year may have hidden an inevitable slowdown, despite the impact on downstream demand from the 531 New Deal.
The Chinese government’s decision (531 New Deal) to curtail utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) PV deployments just after the SNEC trade show at the end of May, not only surprised the industry but has since fuelled a significant ASP decline of modules and inverters.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS has as expected confirmed it would de-list from NASDAQ as part of its planned acquisition by Hanwha Solar Holdings Co, a subsidiary of Hanwha Chemical Corporation.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has announced a new restructuring program, which is intended to bring its breakeven level to around CHF 250 million per annum.
Module technology is offering utility solar developers more choice than ever. Frank Faller, VP of technology at 8minutenergy talks to Lauren Cook ahead of his presentation at our PV ModuleTech 2018 event in Penang on 23-24 October.
We have tracked the annual R&D spending of 12 key publicly listed PV module manufacturers over the last 10 years. We present our new methodology with a broader scope which reveals record levels of investment in solar innovation.
