Malaysia and the Philippines have joined the growing list of countries heading to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to request consultations with the US over its 30% solar import tariffs, according to WTO filings both dated 21 February.
Inline solar cell measurement equipment specialist Aurora Solar Technologies (AST) is expecting 2018 to be a record year for new orders, as major PV manufacturers continue to migrate and ramp high-efficiency solar cells such as monocrystalline PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) and bifacial cell technologies.
Consumption of polysilicon used by the solar industry will decline to below 4g/W during 2018, hitting 3.92g/W at the end of Q4’18, according to a new value-chain model developed by the in-house market research team at PV Tech.
As PV Tech previously reported, Taiwan’s solar industry supply chain failed to recover lost revenue in 2017, despite strong global demand growth and expectation that installations topped 100GW.
Swiss-based PV manufacturing equipment specialist INDEOtec SA has successfully gained tool acceptance for its PECVD process tools from both Fraunhofer ISE and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia for next-generation heterojunction solar cells.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Trina Solar has set a new record 25.04% conversion efficiency for an N-type monocrystalline IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) solar cell at its State Key Laboratory (SKL) of PV Science and Technology (PVST) that was independently certified by Japan Electric Safety and Environmental Technology Laboratory (JET).
PV capital expenditure (capex) in 2018, covering investments into ingot, wafer, cell and module capacity, will grow by almost 25% compared to 2017, passing through the US$10 billion mark, returning to levels last seen back in 2010 and 2011 when investments in turn-key thin-film fabs were a key contributor.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger is to supply its SmartWire Connection Technology (SWCT) to integrated PV module manufacturer REC Group.
Taiwan-based merchant PV manufacturer and downstream project developer Neo Solar Power Corporation (NSP) said its ‘Glory BiFi’ mono PERC bifacial modules had been selected for the Taipower’s ChangHua 100MW solar system project, potentially the largest plant to use bifacial modules to date.
With cell producers increasingly focusing on improved efficiencies and yields, line optimization upgrades are coming to the fore. PV Tech caught up with Steve Mcdonald, vice president, application engineering at inline solar cell measurement equipment specialist Aurora Solar Technologies, to discuss some of the industry trends.
