First Solar has locked in steel supplies for solar modules made at its under-development manufacturing facility in Ohio, by signing a supply agreement with local provider Ice Industries.
Pressure is mounting on the policymakers in the US to push through incentives to stimulate domestic clean energy manufacturing in the country after a turbulent week for US solar.
Solar manufacturer Tongwei is forecasting for a six-fold increase in net profit for Q1 2022, highlighting the impact pricing spikes are having on upstream manufacturer fortunes.
Buy aluminium and steel when possible in order to accumulate stock and hedge against continued price rises for both. While the price of nickel has undergone a “short squeeze”, copper is likely to continue trading sideways in the near term and there is no immediate risk to silver supply.
Solar manufacturer LONGi has revised the price of its G1 and M6 p-type wafers in its fifth price revision so far this year, taking prices to a near five-month high.
The chemical process of halogen bonding has “considerable potential for the development of a new generation of solar cells based on perovskites”, according to researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Hanwha Solutions has an “ambitious plan” to revitalise US solar manufacturing increasing its stake in polysilicon producer REC Silicon, although it has called on the US to pass the Solar Energy Manufacturing Act (SEMA) to help support this.
JinkoSolar has confirmed an acceleration to its manufacturing capacity expansion plan on the back of higher than expected demand, despite supply chain constraints continuing to apply pressure on margins.
Ahead of a special webinar held next month, Finlay Colville, head of market research at PV Tech, discusses the key trends affecting the PV industry today, from technology leadership, value chain scale and overall financial health of today’s manufacturers.
