India has sanctioned plans to implement 10 ‘Solar Zones’ each consisting of at least 10,000 hectares of land to encourage solar PV project developers, manufacturers and investors to help achieve the country’s massive 100GW by 2022 solar targets.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has received a follow-on order from an existing customer based in China for its MAiA 2.1 PERC technology upgrade platform.
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.
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.
Leading CdTe thin-film manufacturer First Solar is discontinuing development and production of its hybrid heterojunction silicon cell and module technology, acquired via the acquisition of start-up TetraSun.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) leader Trina Solar said it had achieved an average efficiency of 21.1% for its industrially-produced P-type monocrystalline cells (156 x 156 mm2) with Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology at its ‘golden’ pilot production line.
Major Photovoltaics Energy Provider (PVEP) SunPower has achieved has set a new PV module conversion efficiency record of 24.1%, using laboratory made IBC-based solar cells that has been verified by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
