According to reports, Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP) and petrochemicals to manufacturing conglomerate SABIC have signed MOU’s with LONGi Group and OCI to bring fully integrated solar manufacturing to the country.
Silicon wafer furnace to downstream PV power plant owner, Beijing Jingyuntong Technology Co (JYT) has reported its PV power plant capacity in 2018 totalled 1,239.11MW, an 18% increase over the previous year.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Canadian Solar has said it has shipped a total of 2.6GW of PV modules with its anti-LeTID (Light and elevated Temperature Induced Degradation) PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) technology to date.
Solar cell production in 2018 represented change on many fronts, but may be remembered as a year during which Chinese-owned companies made further strategic moves as part of the current Beijing mandate to position the country as a high-tech manufacturing global powerhouse.
China-based PV module materials and N-type mono module manufacturer Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co is planning to expand production through its key stakeholders Lin Jianwei and Zhang Yuzheng selling between 5%-10% of their shares in the company to Huajun Industrial, part of the Haujun Group.
Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co has launched two differentiated high-efficiency N-type mono PV modules. The new products, the JW-HT&HD Series ‘Paving’ module boasts a front power of 430W, efficiency of 20.5%, integrated power of 530W with efficiency of 25.4%, as well as a rear power gain of 30%. The JW-HF Series ultra-light flexible module weighs 3.75kg per sqm, due to the advanced composite encapsulation materials.
PV research institute Fraunhofer ISE has reported a new efficiency record of 22.3% for a multi-junction solar cell made of silicon and III-V semiconductor materials using a direct epitaxy process developed with tool supplier AIXTRON.
Having acquired PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) in early 2014 by DNV GL the lab has become a separate legal entity again under the ownership of PVEL’s former founder, Jenya Meydbray.
US-headquartered high-efficiency solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp has started changing its long-held strategy of supplying only its in-house produced E Series and X Series panels to residential and C&I (Commerical and Industrial) PV projects in the US.
