At Intersolar Europe 2018, PV Tech talked at length with Aiko Solar’s vice general manager Michael Ho, to gain an update on capacity expansions and strategy with its expanding range of PERC-based cells vis-a-vis the European market.
The Indian Finance Ministry’s order imposing a safeguard duty for two years on solar imports from developed countries as well as China and Malaysia has brought long-awaited clarity to both manufacturers and developers, but both segments of the industry have a number of fears.
Leading integrated high-efficiency monocrystalline module manufacturer and ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member LONGi Green Energy Technology has entered into another major polysilicon supply deal, adding TBEA subsidiary, Xinte Energy Co to its supplier base in a new three-year purchasing agreement.
Chemicals firm Wacker Chemie has painted a rosier picture of polysilicon supply and demand in 2018 than most when reporting a small second quarter decline in polysilicon revenue.
As the solar industry has grown from a 50GW market to 100GW in just a few years, the desire to have differentiated production has increased, especially for companies entering the market or repositioning strategies.
Nanoelectronics R&D organisation imec has reported a record 4-terminal Perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic cell with a conversion efficiency of 27.1%, while claiming further microcrystal engineering leads a path of efficiencies of over 30%.
PV Tech was recently given the opportunity to undertake an in-depth interview with Rongfang Yin, vice president of Trina Solar Group to understand the potential business impact on the company of the recent Chinese government policy changes and what if any new strategies were required.
Polysilicon producer REC Silicon expects its FBR (Fluidized bed reactor) polysilicon production to decline 42% in the third quarter of 2018, after recently announcing further cuts in workforce and production at its Moses Lake facility that would operate at only 25% utilisation rates. The company noted that it was evaluating the possible suspension of all of its solar related materials business in the US.
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 recently held a ground-breaking ceremony for its planned 5GW solar module manufacturing base in the Yiwu Information Optoelectronics High-tech Industrial Park, Zhejiang, China.
Major PV metallization paste producer Heraeus Photovoltaics has announced that its President, Andreas Liebheit has already stepped down from his position, due to personal reasons.
