Documents filed by US-headquartered high-efficiency PV cell and module producer SunPower Corp to the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in respect to the ‘Section 201’ trade case show that SunPower wants thin-film modules made by First Solar included in any remedy actions, while pitching for its IBC (Interdigitated back contact) cells and modules to be excluded.
US-headquartered high-efficiency PV cell and module producer SunPower Corp has surpassed 500MW of solar module orders through several rounds of government tenders in France.
PV Tech reached its own little milestone of having reported and analysed the R&D spending habits of the same 12 key PV module manufacturers for 10 years. The results have just been published in sister technical journal Photovoltaics International as part of the annual leaders and laggards of R&D spending for 2016.
The use of third-party cell and module sourcing has seen a massive uptick in the solar industry, during the past 2-3 years.
The appetite of leading global module suppliers to rely on outsourced cells and modules has been clear to see in the past 12-18 months, but tends to go through almost quarterly tactical adjustments, often driven by factors that are potentially creating risk for long-term downstream asset holders of utility-scale sites.
US-headquartered high-efficiency PV cell and module producer SunPower Corp said it had invested around US$25 million in the last 12-months on a new US R&D and pilot line facility located at its headquarters in San Jose, California.
Despite running at full-capacity, US-headquartered high-efficiency PV module producer SunPower Corp has lowered its full-year revenue guidance as losses mount and margins compress across its utility, commercial and residential markets.
US-headquartered PV manufacturers SunPower and First Solar are expected to collectively sell their stakes in their joint venture yieldco, 8point3 Energy Partners.
Norway-headquartered integrated PV module manufacturer REC Group has been officially approved to be able to bid on solar supply tenders in France, organised by the government after receiving the required low carbon footprint certification by French module testing and certification body, CERTISOLIS.
Updated: The US solar trade body, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said it would spearhead the campaign against the trade petition by US-based bankrupt cell and module manufacturer, Suniva with the USITC (United States International Trade Commission) that threatens import duties on all crystalline solar cells and panels imported from anywhere across the world not produced in the US.
The seasonally soft first quarter of the year for the residential solar rooftop market in the US played out again in 2017, with the addition of much heavier rainfall, notably in California. A basket of primarily US residential installers that are publically listed have recently reported first quarter results.
US-headquartered high-efficiency PV module producer SunPower reported a first quarter 2017 net GAAP loss of US$134.5 million, while guiding further losses of between $110 million to $135 million for the second quarter of the year as the company transitions its business model.
Mono c-Si cell production is forecast to account for 49% of all c-Si cell production in 2018, and will become the dominant technology used in the PV industry by 2019, according to new research contained in the latest release of the PV Manufacturing & Technology Quarterly report, from the in-house research unit at PV-Tech’s parent company Solar Media Ltd.
PV Tech’s preliminary analysis of global solar PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the first quarter of 2017, show a strong rebound compared to the significantly subdued environment experienced in the second half of 2016.
Leading thin-film PV manufacturer First Solar has said it wants to sell its share in its joint venture (JV) yieldco with SunPower to free-up funds to support its switch to manufacturing its large-area Series 6 CdTe modules.
High-efficiency monocrystalline wafer producer Comtec Solar Systems Group reported a net loss of US$146 million in 2016, after previously announced write-down on assets at its Malaysian manufacturing facilities that were being sold leading mono wafer supplier, LONGi Green Energy Technology.
