For all intents and purposes, 2018 may be remembered as the year that Taiwanese solar manufacturing moved from its former cell-making glory days of the past (Taiwan solar 1.0) to adjust to the new reality as defined by China’s bulldozing annihilation of cash-struck overseas manufacturing regions in recent times.
US-headquartered high-efficiency PV module producer SunPower Corp has said that its interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells and modules have been granted exclusion from the US Section 201 import tariffs that were imposed by President Trump in early 2018.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS has appointed a new chairman and CEO with former experience at the company as parent, Hanwha Group begins consolidating solar sector subsidiaries.
PV tracker firm Mecasolar has signed an agreement with Anchor Electricals, a Panasonic Group Company, to produce and distribute its products in India, and to supply them to Southeast Asia and Africa.
Sweden’s first commercial wind power developer Eolus has entered the US solar-plus-storage market, announcing the acquisition of a mega-project currently in development.
China-based polysilicon and multicrystalline wafer producer Daqo New Energy has said it would discontinue its solar wafer manufacturing operations in September, 2018.
Much has been written and voiced over the past couple of months in the PV industry, following the so-called China-531 policy announcement that finally provided a wake-up call to Chinese manufacturers that their domestic end-market was not going to be allowed to maintain its near-exponential growth characteristics.
China-based PV module assembly equipment specialist Yingkou Jinchen Machinery Co reported record second quarter 2018 operating income as key PV manufacturers in China continued to add new module capacity in the first half of 2018, notably through fully-automated solar module assembly lines.
China-based PV module manufacturer Hareon Solar Technology Co, has reported unaudited first half 2018 financial results, highlighting the collapse in the company in 2017, as losses mounted and was forced into major restructuring in 2018.
