PV Tech caught up with Scott Howard, global marketing manager, Solar Energy Solutions, at 3M to discuss how sunlight can be redirected for improved efficiency in PV modules.
Polysilicon producer REC Silicon has been forced to sell solar grade (FBR) polysilicon below cash cost, due to weak demand and ASP declines, driven by demand curtailment in China and continued polysilicon capacity expansions.
PV Tech caught up with Daniel Chang, technical director at major China-based PV manufacturer JinkoSolar, to discuss the performance of installed PERC products, new testing regimes, what consumers are asking for and how to release new modules to market.
PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the second quarter of 2018, were slightly higher than the previous quarter, although activity slumped specifically in June, after China’s decision to suddenly cap utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) projects (531 New Deal). But large-scale multi-gigawatt production plans in the first half of the year may have hidden an inevitable slowdown, despite the impact on downstream demand from the 531 New Deal.
The Chinese government’s decision (531 New Deal) to curtail utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) PV deployments just after the SNEC trade show at the end of May, not only surprised the industry but has since fuelled a significant ASP decline of modules and inverters.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has announced a new restructuring program, which is intended to bring its breakeven level to around CHF 250 million per annum.
China-based polysilicon producer Daqo New Energy Corp said that its polysilicon production costs were targeted to reach US$6.80 per kilogram in 2020, once the capacity expansion to 70,000MT per annum had been completed.
India-based PV module and materials specialist RenewSys has has become the first Indian company to receive UL approval and commercialize its Polyolefin Elastomeric (POE) encapsulant. ‘CONSERV E 360 (POE)’, has been specially developed to combine the advantages of TPO as well to provide an effective solution to Potential Induced Degradation (PID).
We have tracked the annual R&D spending of 12 key publicly listed PV module manufacturers over the last 10 years. We present our new methodology with a broader scope which reveals record levels of investment in solar innovation.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member LONGi Solar, a subsidiary of leading monocrystalline wafer producer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co has renewed its R&D partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW), a world renowned university involved in photovoltaic research.
