After a challenging year, the mood at SPI 2018 was undeniably buoyant. The industry's resilience, flexibility and ingenuity is nothing short of heroic.
JinkoSolar has launched its 72-cell Cheetah (P-type mono-PERC) module with peak power outputs of 410W, which is claimed to be highest-performing commercially mass-produced monofacial module on the market.
US-headquartered high-efficiency PV module producer SunPower Corp has completed the acquisition of SolarWorld Americas from German insolvency court and administrators, securing the future of the solar cell and module assembly operations of the Hillsboro, Oregon plant.
European research and innovation hub centre imec has detailed a path for its nPERT (n-type Passivated Emitter and Rear Totally diffused) solar cell technology to reach conversion efficiencies in excess of 24% for volume production applications.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar has supplied modules to Bangladesh's first large-scale solar power plant (28MW), which had been connected to the utility grid in September 2018.
Major solar PV materials firm Heraeus Photovoltaics has teamed with PV ribbon manufacturer Ulbrich Solar Technologies to produce a new line of Heraeus’ patented advanced ‘Selectively Coated Ribbons’ (SCR) for module manufacturing customers.
The MIP is no longer with us but some European manufacturers did manage to outlive it. Happily, a culture of innovation and a political will to support the sector could breathe new life into it.
With the multi to mono transition largely a fait accompli in the PV industry, the buzzword for 2019 will certainly be on bifaciality. This has been brewing for some years, but the sheer weight of capacity and production will finally impact on large-scale utility solar in ways most appear to be grossly unprepared for.
TUV Rheinland has hosted a delegation from China at its officials at the headquarters of TUV Rheinland Academy in Cologne, Germany that will support a strategic cooperation framework agreement for the Sino-German Industry 4.0 Demonstration and Training Center project.
