First Solar has filed a legal complaint against fellow US PV manufacturer Toledo Solar for modifying, marketing and reselling old First Solar panels as its own product, claiming to be made in the US.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced US$52 million in financing for research and development (R&D) into domestic solar manufacturing and recycling, including a focus on new technologies.
The US market is expected to see a strong uptick in overall module supply, both domestic and overseas, in 2023. Alongside this will be a range of different module technologies, making the US market the most differentiated from a technology standpoint this year.
As the PV industry reckons with its social and environmental impact and the byproducts of its processes, beyond the near-term questions over provenance and manufacturing ethics, concerns at the horizon of a module’s lifespan are coming more and more into focus.
A number of solar module manufacturers have reportedly bid for financial incentives offered by the Indian government to expand domestic manufacturing of solar panels.