Manufacturing

As the PV industry reckons with its social and environmental impact and the byproducts of its processes, beyond the near-term questions over provenance and manufacturing ethics, concerns at the horizon of a module’s lifespan are coming more and more into focus.  

Chinese solar PV manufacturer TCL Zhonghuan has planned to issue nearly RMB13.8 billion (US$2 billion) convertible bonds for its 35GW annual capacity ultra-thin high-purity mono silicon wafer and 25GW n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) 4.0 highly-efficient solar cell plants.

US community solar developer Summit Ridge Energy has signed an agreement with solar PV manufacturer QCells to buy 1.2GW of solar modules. 

PV manufacturer Huasun has signed a 1.5GW module supply deal with Bulgarian engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Inercom to run through to the end of 2025.

On April 6, TCL Zhonghuan announced its latest silicon wafer prices, which saw a general downwards trend despite module prices recovering.

Solitek targets the agriPV and industrial markets in Italy to set itself aside from Chinese manufacturers with its bifacial glass-to-glass modules.

Spanish utility Iberdrola has submitted proposal for 1.6GW PV module assembly plant to the European Commission’s (EC) Innovation Fund.

India’s accelerated pace with its domestic solar manufacturing capacity is set to reach 110GW of solar PV module capacity per year by 2026.

PV module prices are set to fall considerably in the next five years, though US market prices will remain higher than the rest of the world as its import policies and ongoing competition with China add a market premium.

Portuguese utility EDP Renewables has inked a 1.8GW supply deal with US PV module manufacturer First Solar to power its US projects through 2028.