‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Trina Solar is planning its first major solar cell manufacturing expansion in recent years, driven by its migration to large-area PV modules using the 210mm wafer size as it ramps production of its high-performance mainstream ‘Vertex’ Series modules in 2021 onwards.
Major polysilicon producer Daqo New Energy expects polysilicon demand to outstrip supply for at least the next 18 months, due to the lack of new polysilicon capacity and strong demand as a growing number of ‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) members continue to add in-house monocrystalline ingot and wafer production.
The announcement from Tongwei on 10 August disclosing new cell price rises was a surprise for the whole PV industry. Compared to its previous quote on 24 July, the price of poly cells rose by another 6 USD cents/W, with a further increase of 8 cents/W for 156.75mm, 158.75mm and 166mm mono cells.
Major polysilicon producer Wacker Chemie has reported polysilicon sales of €152.5 million in the second quarter of 2020, a new low, due to weak demand and lower utilisation rates, resulting in losses of €35 million for its polysilicon division.
Since its founding in 2010, inverter manufacturer Growatt has been on an international trail that has seen it establish branches in 14 countries and regions including Germany, the US, the UK, Australia, Thailand, India and the Netherlands to serve global customers. Its overseas markets accounted for between 60 – 70% of its total business last year. PV Tech sits down with Growatt’s Lisa Zhang about the firm’s strategy behind its new factory location, and more
Independent test lab, PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) has expanded its PV inverter reliability testing operations with a newly renovated South San Francisco laboratory to handle its PV Inverter Product Qualification Program (PQP) business and its PV Inverter Scorecard report that was first published in May, 2019.
Meyer Burger has selected former manufacturing plants owned by defunct, SolarWorld and Q-Cells SE in Germany to kick-start its recently announced plans to become a dedicated heterojunction module manufacturer and stop being a supplier of PV manufacturing equipment.
JinkoSolar has recently launched its 2020 flagship utility-scale module series, ‘Tiger PRO’, which includes three new modules, 72 TR, 72 HC and 78 TR versions and bifacial options.
As part of PV-Tech’s focus to understand the status of heterojunction (HJT) solar cell production, investments and field performance, PV Tech recently caught up with the CEO of Hevel Solar, Igor Shakhray.