Manufacturing

The US Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have released guidance pertaining to the domestic content bonus included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); solar PV projects will need to meet requirements for both their PV and their steel components in order to benefit.  

Aiko Solar, one of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturers, has announced the launch of its new ‘All Back Contact’ (ABC) module in Europe.

TW Solar’s Terra range of shingled PV modules aims to provide end users with a sustainable solution that combines reduced risk of micro-cracks with excellent performance in harsh conditions. 

French startup Holosolis, founded by innovation group EIT InnoEnergy, has planned to build a 5GW solar module assembly plant in France.

Fraunhofer ISE has announced a new international test standard for PV inverters with integrated arc fault detection systems.

Fraunhofer ISE has opened a new outdoor solar technology test field in Germany, enabling a faster and more accurate evaluation of PV modules. 

Italian solar manufacturer FuturaSun has signed a strategic agreement with the government of the city of Huai’an in China to build a 10GW solar cell manufacturing plant.

Thin-film module manufacturer First Solar has acquired thin-film company Evolar to grow its PV capabilities.

Solar module supplier Maxeon has started evaluating the possibility of expanding its manufacturing capacity in the US with a cell and module assembly plant.

Solar tracker and software provider Nextracker more than doubled its adjusted EBITDA in the financial year (FY) ending March 2023 compared with the previous year, up to US$209 million from US$92 million.