According to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), solar PV installations reached 52.83GW in 2017, up from 34.54GW in 2016, and accounting for around 50% of expected global solar demand last year.
Major China-based PV module manufacturer Risen Energy, which entered PV Tech’s Top 10 module manufacturer’s rankings for the first time in 2017, has reported that its operating income exceeded RMB 10 billion (US$1.56 billion) in 2017, a new record for the company.
Leading PV module encapsulation and backsheet material supplier Hangzhou First Applied Materials Co, formerly First Photovoltaics (PV) was heading for a major collapse in its business profitability in 2017 but relocation compensation from a state land acquisition is expected to provide support to its profitability.
China's CETC Renewable Energy Technology Company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) to set up a PV cell manufacturing facility in the Indian state.
An initial five-year R&D program is starting between the German-based Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île de France (IPVF) in Paris to develop next-generation flexible photovoltaics featuring copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) solar cells.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has sent a plea to president Trump asking him to preserve tens of thousands of US solar jobs by not imposing high tariffs on imported solar panels, while Trump himself has indicated that he will make a decision on the Section 201 Case soon.
Leading solar PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has exceeded its revenue guidance as it discloses preliminary financial information for fiscal year 2017.
Multinational construction firm Skanska AB is to test semi-transparent perovskite solar modules from start-up Saule Technologies on commercial office buildings with the first applications planned to be installed in Poland in 2018.
