Cell Processing

Construction of the cell plant in Ethiopia is expected to start in November 2024, with the start of production aimed at the end of the first quarter of 2025.

Australian PV cell technology startup SunDrive Solar announced today (14 October) a new partnership with Chinese solar manufacturer Trina Solar, which will see a joint venture (JV) established with plans to scale manufacturing opportunities in Australia.

They relate to the tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon)solar cells used in Runergy and Adani’s products sold in the US and the manufacturing processes for those cells.

Vietnamese solar manufacturer Boviet Solar has started construction on its 2GW TOPCon module assembly plant in North Carolina, US, with the solar cell plant to follow suit.

As of H1 2024 India has reached an annual nameplate capacity of 77.2GW for modules and 7.6GW for solar cells, according to Mercom India.

The partnership aims to boost the sale of solar cell equipment in India amidst a growth in capacity announcements.

Once complete, the project is intended to produce 5GW of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells and 3GW of modules.

Alpex Solar's solar cell foray will be carried out in three phases with the first one adding 500MW annual nameplate capacity by October 2025.

Trina Solar has filed a patent infringement complaint with the US ITC regarding TOPCon products sold by Runergy and Adani Green Energy.

“The required investment and technical know-how [for establishing cell capacity] is significantly more complex and substantial [than modules]”, Colville said.