The director of the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) solar cost cutting programme has hailed the “phenomenal jobs growth rate” that the US solar industry has enjoyed in recent times.
Plans by Apple to build a solar powered data centre at an Arizona facility once owned by First Solar have been welcomed by environmental advocacy group Greenpeace.
Trina Solar has claimed its State Key Laboratory Testing Center has become the first institute to attain TUV Rheinland’s Power Measurement Uncertainty Assessment Service ("UAS") Certificate.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative is providing CIGS thin-film start-up Siva Power with US$3 million in funding as part of the program to bring novel and highly innovative ideas to commercialisation.
US-based fabless PV module supplier, Andalay Solar has secured a 50MW annual sub-contracting manufacturing partnership with Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
The Taiwanese PV manufacturing sector could use the very same loophole that put it in the US government’s crosshairs, to sidestep the punitive duties now faced by its own firms.
According to market research firm IHS, Chinese tier-1 PV module suppliers are mostly sold out in the first quarter of 2015 as demand remains strong from markets such as China, Japan and the UK as well as in South America and Central America.
PV manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS, said it would close down all solar cell and module manufacturing capacity in Germany and relocate the lines to its main production facility in Cyberjaya, Malaysia with the loss of 550 jobs.
PV module assembly manufacturing consultancy specialist, J.v.G. Thoma is to supply a 70MW turnkey production line to start-up, Renovasol in Brazil. Financial details were not disclosed.
Leading PV manufacturer, Trina Solar, has started mass production of high-efficiency PERC (passivated emitter rear cell) technology with the expected availability of both multicrystalline and monocrystalline ‘Honey’ modules available in Europe this year and a global roll-out in 2016.
