Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi raises PV wafer prices, new entrant switches on 15 GW of wafer capacity
GokinSolar has commissioned the first 15 GW unit of its 50 GW PV wafer manufacturing facility in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province and Golden Solar New Energy Technology last week announced commercial production plans for the flexible, lightweight, cast-mono, heterojuntion (HJT) solar modules. Meanwhile, Longi has raised the prices of its wafers.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Work begins on 12 GW heterojunction module factory in Zhejiang
Furthermore, Zhonghuan Semiconductor’s parent company has reported strong results for its PV business and solar developer Shunfeng has halted trading in its shares.
Energy transition to create 60m solar jobs by 2050
The switch from fossil fuels and nuclear will bring a jobs dividend thanks to the greater labor-intensity of renewables plants, according to a paper published by Finland’s LUT. However, the jobs dividend is unlikely to be evenly spread around the world, with Europe set to be a big winner.
Tesla sells Maxwell Technologies but dry cell tech for lithium-ion batteries retained
Tesla acquired the Californian supercapacitor maker in 2019, leading some to speculate its EVs would use ‘supercaps’ for top acceleration. Two years on, it appears Elon Musk has moved on and sold Maxwell to UCAP Power, but Tesla has retained the company’s dry electrode tech.
Europe had just 650 MW of solar cell manufacturing capacity at the end of 2020
The latest update to the Photovoltaics Report produced by research organization the Fraunhofer ISE has offered up the usual slew of interesting stats on the state of solar across the continent.
Solar manufacturers warn of 12-18 months disruption for standalone products
Potential price rises of 14% for the solar home systems that are driving access to electricity in the world’s under-served regions could signal further arrested progress towards the UN goal of universal access by 2030.
Sliding seam clamps for framed solar modules
The clamps can be installed on artisanal seam sheet roofs or industrial system seam sheet roofs made of coated steel, aluminum and other materials.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 50 GW wafer factory commissioned in Qinghai province
Furthermore, Zhonghuan Semiconductor has slightly reduced its wafer prices, while Longi has maintained them unchanged. Flat Glass is raising funds to support the construction of a new glass factory with a total annual capacity of 750,000 metric tons.
Soltec launches tracker for high-power modules
The SFOne tracker is designed for modules with 72 and 78-cell designs. According to Soltec, it reduces the time spent in its installation by 75% and will be available in all markets where the company operates.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: New incentives for rooftop PV, TBEA increases stake in Xinte
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has allocated RMB500 million (US$78.1 million) for the incentive scheme for residential PV in 2021. Chinese electronic engineer TBEA is set to raise its controlling stake in polysilicon manufacturer Xinte Energy as it attempts to fund a planned 100,000-tons-per-year fab in Inner Mongolia.
