Manufacturing

A round-up of product launches and other news stories from the show floor at the SNEC 2020 exhibition in Shanghai, China, featuring 600W+ panels, integrated storage solutions and decarbonisation commitments.

LONGi Green Energy has become the latest solar manufacturer to unveil its target of deriving 100% of its power demand from renewables.

‘Solar Module Super League’ member First Solar has aimed to double down on manufacturing with the sale of its O&M division, having kickstarted discussions around the future of its EPC business.

Huawei has won a patent infringement case against SolarEdge in China, with the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court ordering SolarEdge to pay RMB10 million (US$1.4 million) in compensation.

Having exerted more control over its operational expenditure, SolarEdge has hinted it will take advantage of a broader, more global sales base and deeper talent pool to strengthen its focus on R&D.

Microinverter supplier Enphase Energy saw its Q2 revenue shrink 6% year-on-year as it was affected by reduced demand as a result of COVID-19.

Trina Solar has launched its latest ‘Vertex’ solar panel series, designed with a new platform of technology innovations to provide ultra-high performance for utility-scale PV power plant applications with a path to 600W panels in 2021.

Suntech has confirmed that the 1.5GW, first-phase expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Wuxi has been placed into production.

Despite having experienced numerous ups and downs over the years, Suntech has retained its status within China’s PV industry as an internationally respected and richly experienced solar player. Carrie Xiao reports.

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.