manufacturing capacity

The expansion of solar PV and battery storage is keeping the global net zero 1.5 degree pathway open, and the current host of planned manufacturing capacity expansions will be enough to meet demand by 2030.

Global module capacities are on track to reach 866GW by the end of 2023, more than doubling the existing capacity at the end of 2022.

Chinese solar manufacturer Tongwei has planned to invest RMB20 billion (US$2.7 billion) in its Leshan project, in the Chinese province of Sichuan, to expand ingot pulling, slicing and cell production capacity, so as to accelerate the establishment of “China’s Green Silicon Valley”.

Indian solar manufacturer Waaree will expand its ingot, wafer, cell and module production capacity by 6GW following a second round equity funding raise of around INR10 billion (US$121 million).

German solar module manufacturer RCT Solutions has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a 10GW solar module factory in Manitoba, Canada.

Senior VP Vincent Cao sat down with PV Tech at Intersolar Europe 2023 last month to chat about the company’s products, current and future technologies, overseas ambitions and financial strength.

Announced solar PV manufacturing capacity across the globe has met the deployment levels suggested by the International Energy Agency towards 2030, but only 25% of the announced projects could be considered as committed, according to IEA's recent study.

US thin-film manufacturer First Solar has recorded 48.3GW of net bookings in 2022, up 30.8GW from the previous year.

During 2022, capex for solar PV manufacturing fabs reached a record high - at more than US$27 billion - with spending dominated by Chinese companies building out new fabs in China and across Southeast Asia.

Microinverter supplier Enphase Energy plans to add a quarterly capacity of 4.5 million microinverters in 2023 and reach ten million by the end of the year.