The past few weeks has seen some of the most dramatic knee-jerk, naïve and misinformed PV market reporting seen in recent times, with the headlines often resembling nothing more than tabloid sensationalism.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Trina Solar and building materials and PV systems developer China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings have jointly secured a bid to build a 250MW ‘Top Runner’ PV power plant project in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, China.
Leading CdTe thin-film PV module manufacturer First Solar held a ground breaking ceremony on 8 June 2018 for the construction of its new 1.2GW manufacturing plant near its existing flagship facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the global average selling price (ASP) of solar modules is expected to decline by 35% in 2018, compared to previous forecasts of a 20% to 27% decline, due to the Chinese government curtailing solar growth through new policies initiated last Friday.
China-based solar PV project developer and operator ReneSola is one of the first companies to publically echo the impact expected from the Chinese government’s decision to significantly curtail solar deployment, highlighting the solar module ASP decline of modules as a key benefit to downstream developers.
India’s newly-formed Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) will hold a public hearing regarding the case on whether to impose Safeguard Duties on imports of solar cells and modules on 26 June in New Delhi.
The largest solar PV manufacturer in the world GCL Group has had its plans for a major 5GW manufacturing hub in Egypt approved by the National Authority for Military Production.
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger has said that the pioneer of heterojunction solar cell technology, Panasonic has decided to fast-track the evaluation of its ‘SmartWire Connection Technology’ (SWCT) in an effort to boost its cell and module performance.
Major PV materials provider DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions has launched the first transparent PV module backsheet material, specifically for bifacial solar modules at SNEC International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Exhibition, being held in Shanghai, China this week.
China-based PV module materials and N-type mono and IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) bifacial module manufacturer Jolywood is partnering with European research and innovation hub centre, imec to bring to market an industrialized bifacial solar cells with an average front-side conversion efficiency up to 21.9%.
