As polysilicon prices rise once again, Liam Stoker explores the potential for polysilicon facilities to start in new geographies, the issues surrounding equipment and a skilled workforce and what else is vital to more regionalised PV manufacturing.
India must scale up investment in the large-scale domestic manufacture of upstream PV products to avoid the risk of logistics and commodity price fluctuations posed by its current high levels of solar imports, new research has suggested.
China is expected to add 83 – 99GW of PV capacity every year from 2022 to 2025, while Europe is now its largest export market for solar products, according to a China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) report on the outlook for the PV industry over the next few years.
Solar manufacturer LONGi Solar has increased prices for its range of PV wafers, sending them to four-month highs amidst ongoing spikes in the polysilicon price.
India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is expected to add up to 40GW of additional cell and module manufacturing capacity in the country as it operates in tandem with the country’s upcoming Basic Customs Duty (BCD), according to Indian rating agency ICRA, a Moody's Investors Service company.
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have reported the “the first ever” successful damp-heat test of perovskite solar cells, which they claim has moved the technology closer towards commercial viability after it withstood 1,000 hours of harsh conditions and maintained a 95% efficiency.
Italian utility Enel is partnering with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Comal to set up a solar tracker manufacturing plant with an annual production of up to 1GW.
Solar Module Super League (SMSL) member JA Solar is again aggressively expanding its manufacturing capacity, unveiling a new RMB3.5 billion (US$552 million) investment programme for new facilities.
Australia and India have agreed to collaborate on solar manufacturing and deployment, aiming to reduce the cost of solar PV, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and new clean technologies in both countries.
The Indian government’s budget announcement on Monday (1 February) is set to be a “game-changer” for domestic manufacturing following the imposition of a Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 25% on solar PV cells and of 40% on solar PV modules from April this year.
