Yesterday the US government ended months of speculation by enacting a withhold and release order (WRO) on solar imports to the US linked to specific polysilicon providers in China suspected of having used forced labour. Liam Stoker analyses what we know so far and, crucially, what the industry still needs to know before it can proceed.
The cost of building and operating new utility-scale PV is now cheaper than running existing coal plants in China, India and across much of Europe. However, rising commodity prices could see PV projects become temporarily more expensive in the second half of 2021, according to BloombergNEF analysis.
The US government is set to block the imports of some solar products with links to the Xinjiang region of China in response to allegations of the use of forced labour.
Annual investment in solar and wind generation in the Asia Pacific region could double to US$1.3 trillion by 2030 compared to the previous decade, with policy targets and cost declines boosting growth, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie.
Finlay Colville, head of market research at PV Tech Research, explores how solar PV has become dependent on low-cost manufacturing, facilitating a dominance by China-based players, and how the industry could engage with current scrutiny of solar’s supply chain.
A round-up of the latest project news, as Mytilineos is chosen as EPC for a project in Uzbekistan, Clenergy forms a deal with the local Kongtong government for 150MW and CleanCapital teams up with CI Renewables for a 29MW portfolio.
The first phase of GCL System Integration Technology's (GCL-SI) 60GW module factory in Hefei, in China’s Anhui Province, is on track to start production this September.
Solar wafer and cell manufacturers in China have hiked their prices once again this month after a jump in spot prices for polysilicon in the country, while earthquakes have also disrupted upstream production.
Indian authorities have launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of solar cells from China, Thailand and Vietnam following an application filed by the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said it expects annual solar PV additions globally to surpass 160GW by 2022, affirming the technology’s position as the “new king” of global electricity markets.
