PV Tech reached its own little milestone of having reported and analysed the R&D spending habits of the same 12 key PV module manufacturers for 10 years. The results have just been published in sister technical journal Photovoltaics International as part of the annual leaders and laggards of R&D spending for 2016.
LONGi, Jolywood and many other large PV manufacturers claim that bifacial mono c-Si technology is the future. Since 2015, bifacial PV installations have been entering multi- MW installation levels, and are expected to enter multi-GW levels in 2018.
Dedicated N-type monocrystalline module manufacturer Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co. Ltd (Jolywood) is the first company to supply its bifacial modules to a decent sized 6.7MW project in India.
Major metallization paste producer Heraeus Photovoltaics has extended its supplier status with major China-based integrated PV module manufacturer, Tongwei Solar to collaborate on next-generation high-efficiency wafer and solar technologies.
Leading Silicon Module Super League (SMSL) member JinkoSolar said it had been collaborating with TUV Rheinland to develop standardized testing methods for bifacial PV module technology.
Major metallization paste producer Heraeus Photovoltaics said it had lost a patent case against Taiwan-based Giga Solar in the Taiwanese Intellectual Property Court but noted it was reviewing the findings before deciding on an appeal.
China-based renewable energy developer and owner Panda Green Energy Group (PGEG), formerly United Photovoltaics said it had completed and grid-connected the first panda-shaped PV power plant in Datong County, Shanxi Province, China.
Dedicated N-type monocrystalline module manufacturer Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co. Ltd (Jolywood) said it had collaborated with TUV NORD and the National Center of Supervision and Inspection on Solar Photovoltaic Product Quality (CPVT) to establish a preliminary testing standard for bifacial solar modules.
Updated: The US solar trade body, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said it would spearhead the campaign against the trade petition by US-based bankrupt cell and module manufacturer, Suniva with the USITC (United States International Trade Commission) that threatens import duties on all crystalline solar cells and panels imported from anywhere across the world not produced in the US.
PV Tech’s preliminary analysis of global solar PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the first quarter of 2017, show a strong rebound compared to the significantly subdued environment experienced in the second half of 2016.
