First Solar will start a 100MW manufacturing line for crystalline silicon cells for the residential distributed market from the end of next year with production scaling from 2015, it was revealed yesterday.
Leading PV energy provider (PVEP), First Solar, has claimed to be the first thin-film module manufacturer to have received ‘Thresher' test certification from TÜV Rheinland.
Reports suggest a deal is in the making that could see Suntech Power Holdings' bankrupt subsidiary rescued by the involvement of a rival Chinese PV manufacturer and several state-owned enterprises in Wuxi, China.
Switzerland-based Sputnik Engineering, well known under its PV inverter brand, SolarMax, is following SMA Solar in restructuring its operations as markets shift away from Europe and the PV industry becomes increasingly global.
Plans to build a fully integrated PV supply chain within Saudi Arabia are continuing slowly with reports that Idea Polysilicon Company (IPC) has received four bids to build its proposed 10,000MT polysilicon plant and ingot/wafer operations.
A potential shift by Chinese PV manufacturers to avoid anti-dumping duties in the US and EU as well as in India has started with plans by Hareon Solar to build a 300MW solar cell plant in Taiwan.
Taiwan-based research firm, EnergyTrend, has said that Taiwan-based solar cell producers shipped 3.2GW of cells in the first half of 2013 on the back of anti-dumping duties against China in the US and EU.
