Taiwan votes in favor of nuclear power
On Saturday, voters in Taiwan approved a referendum to stop the phase-out of nuclear power. Some fear the decision could slow down the development of the renewable energy industry on the island.
Taiwan’s URE handed $335 million syndicated loan
The Taiwanese solar manufacturer secured the funds from a consortium of banks formed by First Bank, Taiwan Cooperative Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank and CTBC Bank.
Ingot, wafer prices dropping; market momentum needed
Polysilicon and wafer suppliers are still struggling with oversupply and low demand. Tier 1 raw material manufacturers have signed their October orders, but further down the food chain, companies are still waiting for bites. Overall, prices on the cell and module level are in slight decline, although prices for ultra-high efficiency modules have climbed by a small margin, on the back of increased demand.
Asian market to see 355 GW of solar over five years, despite policy challenges
Despite political hurdles in key markets including China, India and Japan, Asia remains highly active. This year, 59 GW of solar is expected to be installed and due to further system price declines, a phase-out of subsidy schemes can be offset.
Taiwan brings first phase of island’s largest PV plant online
14 MW of new solar capacity began feeding energy into Taiwan’s grid this week, as the first phase of a planned 100 MW facility being built by the island’s utility Taipower.
Motech sells factory in Tainan
The transaction is expected to provide the Taiwanese cell maker with around $31.7 million. The buyer is Wistron NeWeb Corporation, a Taiwanese manufacturer of wireless communication products.
Prices for monocrystalline solar modules are picking up
Analysts at Taiwan-based EnergyTrend and China’s PV Infolink have reported a further increase in demand for monocrystalline solar cells and modules in recent days. Their respective analyses on multi-crystalline products, however, do not match.
Chinese market turbulence affects another slew of PV employees in Taiwan
TSEC is planning to cut a fifth of its workforce as it changes focus to produce higher-efficiency PERC cells, against a backdrop of more generic products swamping the market because of a slowdown in the world’s biggest market.
URE gets $90m financial backing from Taiwanese government
Taipei will invest in the company through its National Development Fund and government-run glass manufacturer Yao Hwa Glass Co. Ltd.
TOPCon: The next big thing after PERC
TOPCon technologies could further increase solar cell efficiencies, said Guangyao Jin, chief scientist, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, at this year’s Energy Taiwan, held in September. He added that metallization paste is crucial.
