Germany-based inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology is setting up a subsidiary in Brazil, which will provide residential, commercial and utility-scale solar solutions as well as other services in the Latin American country.
Major polysilicon producer Wacker Chemie said that its new polysilicon plant in the US had started ramping and existing plants remained at full-capacity despite continued price declines that have reached record lows.
Major PV metallisation paste producer Heraeus Photovoltaics says it has bolstered its multi-supplier sourcing strategy for silver powder after an accident in early January 2016 at one of the largest producers, Dowa Hightec, left two workers dead and two injured. The plant was subsequently shut down and could be out of commission for several months, pending investigations.
Negotiators are facing calls to reach a swift resolution to ongoing talks aimed at establishing a new global trade agreement for environmental goods such as solar cells and modules.
Despite the many headwinds facing Indian PV producers, one firm, Sonali Solar, is planning to ramp capacity over the coming months. Tom Kenning spoke to chief executive and president Pankaj Desai to gain an insight into the challenges facing domestic manufacturers.
Before 2015, no solar PV cell manufacturer had ever produced more than 3GW of cells in a single calendar year. In fact, very few had exceeded the 2GW level. This year, three companies are poised to manufacture more than 3GW each, with almost 10GW collectively. Not surprisingly, these three c-Si cell manufacturers will occupy the top-3 solar cell production rankings come the end of the year.
As many as 27,000 jobs could be lost if the UK government presses ahead with plans to cut the solar feed-in tariff by 87%, according to research carried out by one of the country's trade bodies.
