Chinese solar PV manufacturer TCL Zhonghuan has planned to issue nearly RMB13.8 billion (US$2 billion) convertible bonds for its 35GW annual capacity ultra-thin high-purity mono silicon wafer and 25GW n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) 4.0 highly-efficient solar cell plants.
Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has broken ground on a solar cell production plant in Gora, Nasarawa state.
Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia (HAGA) – part of Hanwha Solutions – will increase its investment in the US state of Georgia to support the integrated supply chain plans of its PV manufacturing subsidiary QCells.
Last week, French PV startup Carbon announced plans for an integrated European PV manufacturing facility to produce an initial capacity of 5GW of cells and 3.5GW of modules. The company spoke to PV Tech Premium about its short and long-term plans, and why Europe needs a PV manufacturing ecosystem.
After the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, solar PV and storage are expected to create up to 115,000 manufacturing workers in the US by 2030.
PV modules will keep changing in the quest for higher efficiency and energy yield. However, the rapid and sometimes simultaneous introduction of new technologies increases overall quality risk, writes George Touloupas, senior director at Clean Energy Associates.