Hanergy supplies panels for SolaRoad extension

It will test the suitability of the modules for one year, to assess their potential use in the SolaRoad project, which was launched in 2014 as the the first PV-powered public roadway in the world.

“Next to the commercially available PowerFlex modules there will be experiments with Global Solar’s new ICI material in different material stacks to better understand the performance and durability of this new material,” Hanergy said in an online statement.

The group — whose Hanergy Thin Film Power (HTF) unit rose to prominence in May 2015, after its Hong Kong-listed stock plunged 47% in a single morning trading session, knocking roughly $19bn off its market capitalization — claims that the Global Solar copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) panels are ideally suited for use in the SolaRoad, due to their flexibility and durability, as well as their performance under shadows, low irradiation and high temperatures.

“SolaRoad and Hanergy will use this time and these results to further strengthen their cooperation, with the aim to bring groundbreaking SolaRoad concepts to reality,” the company said.

HTF, whose stock remains suspended from trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, recorded a net loss of HK$12.2 billion ($1.57 billion) for 2015, down from a net profit of HK$3.2bn in the preceding year.

The Hong Kong market regulator has yet to wrap up a probe it launched into the Hanergy group’s business practices.

The group — which has purchased a number of thin-film PV manufacturers over the years, including former Q-Cells subsidiary Solibro — has largely remained silent about its future prospects.

It has failed to address a number of lingering questions about its opaque business model, which have arisen since its stunning fall from grace.

Several of the group’s deals and partnerships, including a retail tie-up with Swedish furniture giant Ikea, were scrapped after its stock was suspended from trading in Hong Kong.