Storage

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is to provide US$53 million to fund 40 R&D projects aimed at slashing the cost of solar.

US commercial and industrial solar solutions provider, Inovateus Solar has partnered with Indiana-based solar racking company, Kanzo.

Despite the lack of current capital expenditure (capex) across the PV industry value chain, market research firm NPD Solarbuzz expects a major shift to higher efficiency cells and modules to finally dominate the sector by the end of 2018.

Major Taiwan-based wafer producer, Green Energy Technology (GET) said sales in September reached US$43.1 million, up 3.1% from the prior month.

In a shock move, major PV equipment provider, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) said it would file for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the District of New Hampshire, US.

Taiwan-based wafer producer, Sino-American Silicon (SAS) saw a rebound in flagging sales in September, due to the fall-out in orders due to the US anti-dumping case.

SmartFlex, a three-year project part-funded by the EU, has completed a factory that will manufacture individually-designed solar facades.

Specialist materials firm Royal DSM has opened an advanced PV materials demonstration centre in India, which includes a rooftop PV system to meet 25% of the site's electricity needs.

Sharp Corporation's next-generation solar cell technology that enters volume production is expected to be based on its long-term development of both c-Si and a-Si thin-film cells with efficiencies touted to be over 25%.

A couple of companies have highlighted wet chemical texturing processes for PERC cells that avoids using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) that is intended to offer a low-cost alternative for high-efficiency solar cells at EU PVSEC.