China’s solar exports have continued to grow as demand from global consumers and developers increased, while its dominance in PV manufacturing will likely continue, according to Wood Mackenzie’s recent study.
Italian PV panel manufacturer FuturaSun has acquired 24,000 square metres of land to build a factory with 2GW production capacity in a year, relaunching its PV supply chain in Europe.
Solar capacity will remain a key focus of the Indian government’s spending this year, but some existing challenges for the industry could still hamper growth, according to experts.
Thin-film manufacturer First Solar has confirmed that its fourth US factory will be opened in Lawrence County, Alabama. The factory has an expected manufacturing capacity of 3.5GWdc annually and will represent an investment of approximately US$1.1 billion.
Alsace-based Voltec Solar and the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF) are partnering to create a solar panel gigafactory in France in efforts to boost French domestic PV manufacturing.
US module manufacturer Universal Solar is developing a module manufacturing plant in Panama with an initial capacity of 600MW, targeting supply lines disrupted by policy headwinds.
LONGi Solar is planning to develop a 20GW module assembly facility in Wuhu City, Anhui Province after signing a cooperation agreement with local authorities.
Last week saw yet another price increase from some of the solar industry’s largest manufacturers, continuing a trend that has placed some of the sector’s largest providers under heightened margin pressure and PV project developers the world over under strain.
The National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), which represents companies from across the PV value chain, has written to the Indian central government raising concerns about the upcoming imposition of a Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 25% on solar PV cells and 40% on solar PV modules.
The Indian government’s budget announcement on Monday (1 February) is set to be a “game-changer” for domestic manufacturing following the imposition of a Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 25% on solar PV cells and of 40% on solar PV modules from April this year.
