LONGi Solar and REC Group have separately responded to the patent infringement cases filed by Hanwha Q CELLS in courts in Germany and the US as well as with US International Trade Commission (ITC).
Leading ‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has been the first to respond to Hanwha Q CELLS patent legal action filed in the US and Germany, specifically against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar and REC Group.
PV wet chemical processing equipment supplier RENA Technologies has been acquired by private equity firm, Equistone Partners Europe for an undisclosed sum.
Fraunhofer ISE spin-off, NexWafe has secured a new round of funding from Wermuth Asset Management, which will be used for commissioning a pilot line in Freiburg, Germany to produce ‘EpiWafer’ substrates for verification and qualification for potential solar manufacturing customers.
The European Union solar market grew by 36% in 2018 and very strong demand for PV in Europe is expected in the next two years, said trade group SolarPower Europe.
Major polysilicon producer Wacker Chemie has reported its polysilicon division was heavily impacted by the slump in demand due to China’s ‘531 New Deal’ as a reason for the sharp decline in revenue and profitability which declined significantly in 2018.
Chinese module manufacturer Astronergy will close its Frankfurt production facility with the loss of 200 jobs. The site will, however, be repurposed into a sales and service hub for the European market.
