As polysilicon prices rise once again, Liam Stoker explores the potential for polysilicon facilities to start in new geographies, the issues surrounding equipment and a skilled workforce and what else is vital to more regionalised PV manufacturing.
Delays in the shipping industry have likely peaked already, with the turnaround time for containers likely to fall month after month moving further into 2022. While the price of moving containers from China to Europe and the US remains very high, they have come down slightly since last year.
China is expected to add 83 – 99GW of PV capacity every year from 2022 to 2025, while Europe is now its largest export market for solar products, according to a China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) report on the outlook for the PV industry over the next few years.
French independent power producer Neoen’s 2021 revenue jumped 12% year-on-year thanks to the contribution of new solar projects in France and Argentina.
Spanish utility Iberdrola reported a €12 billion (US$13.6 billion) operating profit in 2021, which was 20% higher than 2020, and met its gross profit forecast for 2022 one year early, as its installed 3.5GW of renewables in 2021.
Major engineering and technology firms Worley, ABB and IBM have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on green hydrogen solutions, intending to create an "end-to-end" service for energy companies.
Norwegian start-up Otovo has secured NOK 300 million (US$33.7 million) through a private placement to support the expansion of its solar marketplace into six new European countries.
Renewables investor and developer Econergy has secured more than €200 million (US$227 million) through two joint ventures (JVs) to support the construction of part of its project pipeline in Eastern Europe.
Module manufacturer and energy solutions company Q CELLS has begun selling its new Q.Peak DUO-G10 panel in Europe, which the company said is its “most powerful solar module ever”.
