Solar cell production in 2018 represented change on many fronts, but may be remembered as a year during which Chinese-owned companies made further strategic moves as part of the current Beijing mandate to position the country as a high-tech manufacturing global powerhouse.
China-based PV module materials and N-type mono module manufacturer Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co is planning to expand production through its key stakeholders Lin Jianwei and Zhang Yuzheng selling between 5%-10% of their shares in the company to Huajun Industrial, part of the Haujun Group.
US-headquartered high-efficiency solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp has started changing its long-held strategy of supplying only its in-house produced E Series and X Series panels to residential and C&I (Commerical and Industrial) PV projects in the US.
Just when it looked like the underlining trend for Tesla’s shift away from using third party mainstream solar panel suppliers was set in stone, as manufacturing partner Panasonic started ramping Gigafactory 2 production, the latest data for the third quarter of 2018, goes completely in a different direction.
China-based PV module manufacturer Hareon Solar Technology Co has reported that its main manufacturing subsidiary, Jiangyin Xinhui Solar Energy Co has been forced into bankruptcy liquidation, due to bad debts in the People's Court of Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province.
Leading polysilicon and solar wafer producer GCL-Poly Energy Holdings has reported a consolidated loss attributable to owners of the company’s shares of approximately RMB 534 million (US$77.8 million) for the first 10-months of 2018.
Sweden-based flexible CIGS thin-film solar cell equipment supplier Midsummer has recently said it had secured a U$7 million order from US start-up, Sunflare, which has developed a new solar roof tile system that was displayed at SPI 2018.
Inverter and smart energy manufacturer SolarEdge has a back catalogue of solar-themed parody videos but this year’s effort, Solar Joy, has raised the bar.
Energy giant Shell has increased its global solar footprint with the acquisition of a 49% stake in Cleantech Solar, a Southeast Asia and India-focused solar company.
