First Solar has entered into a framework agreement with a subsidiary of Silicon Ranch, one of the US’ leading solar project developers, to supply 230MW worth of modules for future projects.
Leading thin-film producer First Solar is planning a major revamp of its next-generation CdTe modules by introducing a new suite of production lines capable of producing large-area (1.2m x 1.8m) ‘Series 6’ modules with 400W output and significantly lower production costs currently achievable with its smaller form factor modules.
SolarCity’s request that its Silevo modules be excluded from the scope of the US trade case against Chinese products has been rejected in a preliminary ruling made on Monday.
This article reveals the most important PV manufacturers and suppliers to the solar industry in 2016. The new analysis and methodology explains exactly which companies are currently controlling, shaping and influencing all metrics related to upstream manufacturing trends and final end-market module shipments.
By any ‘normal’ metrics, PV thin-film equipment and module producer Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (Hanergy TF) remains in a dire financial position after reporting a non-cash loss of around US$1.58 billion in 2015 and its biggest customer and parent company, Hanergy Holdings and its affiliates failed to make due payments of around US$680 million.
PV and electronics equipment manufacturing and automation specialist Manz AG has decided to keep its turnkey CIGS thin-film technology after almost a year of undertaking a strategic review, due to lack of orders.
Japanese thin-film manufacturer Solar Frontier has heralded a 150MW module supply deal in the US as a major step towards its final decision on building a factory in America.
When Jan Marc Luchies from Tempress Systems (Amtech Systems) took to the stage last week – on the second day of the inaugural PVCellTech conference in Kuala Lumpur on 17 March 2016 – equipment supplier Amtech Systems capitalized on this platform with a press release to highlight a sharp uptick in new order intake for its PV operations over the past two months, taking the company’s solar bookings to approximately US$50 million since October 2015.
In common with every other PV market in the world as it matures, attaining grid parity for the technology is the ultimate goal for Japan. As an electricity market in general, meeting electrical supply with demand will of course become ever-more important.
