China-based merchant solar cell producer Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd (Aiko Solar) said it had achieved a production capacity of 4GW for PERC solar cells, while initially ramping its new production plant on schedule near Yiwu City, central Zhejiang province, China at the end of 2017.
China-based integrated PV manufacturer Wuxi Suntech Power Co has started initial mass production of P-type multicrystalline wafers using its in-house developed metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) texturing process (black silicon) for diamond wire sawing.
India’s 100GW solar target is under threat from remedial action against imports of solar modules, unless a range of recommended solutions are considered, according to a letter from the Indian Solar Association to the Finance Ministry.
Solar PV capital expenditure (capex) covering the midstream segments of the industry (c-Si ingot-to-module and thin-film) is now well into its second major upturn in spending, going into 2018, at a time when the industry is just about to move to a new phase in annual deployment levels of greater than 100GW.
The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is proposing the standardization of aging measurements of perovskite solar cells after developing a range of new methods that are claimed to best represent some of the unique characteristics of perovskite materials.
The German subsidiary of UK firm Oxford Photovoltaics (PV) has been awarded €15 million (~US$18 million) by the European Investment bank (EIB) to support the commercialisation of the company’s perovskite photovoltaic technology.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies said that its major CIGS (Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide) thin-film module customer in China, China National Building Materials (CNBM) had secured a minority interest in the company.
The US could bring back its World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute with India, after reports suggested the US believes the South Asian country has failed to comply with a 2016 ruling on its solar policies.
Efficiency gains and productivity improvements are set to dominate the PV manufacturing landscape again in 2018, with strong investments continuing to flow into existing and new cell architectures, with gigawatt-level status now becoming the norm for the manufacturing segment, writes Finlay Colville.
