We have tracked the annual R&D spending of 12 key publicly listed PV module manufacturers over the last 10 years. We present our new methodology with a broader scope which reveals record levels of investment in solar innovation.
‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member LONGi Solar, a subsidiary of leading monocrystalline wafer producer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co has renewed its R&D partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW), a world renowned university involved in photovoltaic research.
India-based solar manufacturer and EPC player Vikram Solar has signed a collaboration agreement with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), while at the founding ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
As part of an initiative by the Australian government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) awarded a total of AU$29.2 million for 20 research projects to propel the development of PV technology.
Solar microinverter supplier Enphase Energy has opened its first R&D centre in Bangalore, India, in order to support its expansion into India’s rapidly growing PV market.
Outsourcing in the various stages running up to module assembly versus having one’s entire supply chain in house was a major theme at PV ModuleTech 2017. PV Tech caught up with Nick Strevel, director, global technical sales, at vertically-integrated thin-film PV manufacturer First Solar, to discuss the benefits of having all in house production and the drivers for high expenditure in R&D.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a new investment company based in Silicon Valley, California, which will have R&D and innovation in sustainability and renewable energy among its energy technology focuses.
The Clean Energy Innovation Fund, supported by Australia's Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), and Right Click Capital have invested US$7 million into Australian start-up Redback Technologies, whose system uses machine learning to predict solar generation and customer usage.
