Major polysilicon and merchant cell producer Tongwei Group is to invest in an additional 32GW of solar cell capacity through a RMB12 billion (US$1.9 billion) investment in partnership with the government of Meishan City, in Sichuan Province, China.
Enel Green Power (EGP) has signed a grant agreement with the European Commission for a 3GW PV module plant in Catania, Italy, with an R&D commitment to pursue tandem cell production in the coming years.
US residential solar installer SunPower is in late-stage discussions with US thin film manufacturer First Solar to develop the “world’s most advanced residential solar panel”, its CEO Peter Faricy revealed during an analyst day presentation that also set out the company’s new strategy.
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.
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) is to investigate alleged circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) by solar manufacturers in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Jan Vedde, senior project manager for European Energy, takes a look at the key technological trends in the solar PV market, from changes to silicon cell manufacturing to the benefits of bifaciality.
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.
