Industry Updates

At a ceremony in Riyadh attended by LONGi and its partner GTek Solar (Green Technology Company), it has been announced that LONGi has been awarded a module supply contract for the 400MW (DC) Rabigh Solar PV IPP project in Saudi Arabia via its EPC contractor, China Energy Engineering Group, Guangdong Power Engineering Company (GPEC).

JinkoSolar has announced that its Malaysian facility has become its first overseas “RE100 factory” through its full-scale use of renewables, 100% of the electricity used in the production and operational activities supporting the factory’s 7GW solar cell and 7GW module capacity being green in nature. This is also China’s first overseas manufacturing facility to be powered entirely by renewables.

JinkoSolar has announced that it is to supply approximately one gigawatt of its high efficiency n-type bifacial Tiger Neo solar panels to China Datang Corporation to power six utility-scale solar projects located in Hunan and Guangxi provinces.

JinkoSolar has announced the signing of a 50MWh agreement with Palette Business Solutions, a renewable energy company dealing in cutting edge solar energy products and solutions, for distribution of its battery system units and LFP container storage system in Nigeria.

Trina Solar has been awarded Life Cycle Assessment  (LCA) certification for its Vertex modules by TÜV Rheinland, based on their industry leading low carbon emissions, Trina becoming in the process the first solar company to receive such recognition for 210mm modules.

LONGi has signed a distribution agreement with Abunayyan Trading Corporation (ATC), a trusted name in providing water and energy solutions for residential and business customers throughout Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf.

JinkoSolar has announced that it is to supply 550MW of its N-type Tiger Neo modules to China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), the country’s largest power producer and solar energy developer, further evidence of the industry’s rapidly accelerating transition towards N-type technology.

Sharp Energy Solutions Europe has announced the expansion of its PV business in Ethiopia, taking advantage of significant JCM subsidies for PV panels.

Following on from the company’s Leshan facility, JinkoSolar’s Chuxiong plant has now become its second 100% renewable electricity-powered factory, as part of its ongoing commitment to the Climate Group’s RE100 initiative. The electricity powering the Chuxiong cell factory comes from a variety of sources, including local hydro and offsite solar plants and planned on-site PV arrays installed on the facility’s rooftops.

Since Q3 2021, most specialized wafer manufacturers have been mainly focusing on production of large-size wafers, while downstream cell and module manufacturers have been moving forward with the upgrade of their production lines to accommodate the market trend towards large-size, ultra-high-power modules. While the large-size wafer is in line with current market developments, it also presents a greater challenge for existing equipment, especially thermal process equipment, in maintaining the capacity and uniformity of diffusion and coating despite the increase in size - one of the technical difficulties that equipment manufacturers need to overcome.