Max Hall
China made 14 GW of solar modules in June – and more than 80 GW in six months
The nation produced 57% more solar cells in the first half of this year than in the same period a year earlier, according to a financial update from state-controlled manufacturer Luoyang Glass.
Wacker signs polysilicon supply deal with Jinko
The German company will sell 70,000 tons of its product to the module maker over the course of a five-year contract.
Dubai project promises ‘customized, walkable’ building PV
The new headquarters planned by DEWA is intended to consume no more annual electricity than it generates, from a large volume of rooftop and building-integrated PV.
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.
Solar tariffs to be pegged to coal-fired power prices in grid-parity China
Solar glassmaker Xinyi reported Beijing’s plans as it outlined bumper first-half returns whilst warning investors the boost in glass prices seen last year is likely to be short-lived.
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.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: New heterojunction equipment factory in Jiangsu province
Maxwell Technology is planning to raise RMB2.3 billion (US$356 million) for a new HJT equipment production base in Suzhou City, Jiangsu province. Furthermore, Ginlong has reported its profits grew by more than 100% in the first half of the year.
Bidders plan to use ‘brown power’ to balance intermittency of solar in Singapore’s clean power tender
Solar developer NEFIN and electric company Tuas Power have tabled a joint bid to secure the rights to supply 100 MWh of ‘zero-carbon electricity’ from Malaysia to Singapore and said they initially intend to use “brown power” to secure supply during non-solar-generation hours.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi leapfrogs Jinko for first-half module shipments
There is also news of a 1.1 GW central inverter procurement contract, a pending IPO for solar cell player Runergy, and a $700 million-plus solar glass supply contract.
Mining giant unveils AU$73m solar-plus-storage project
Mining giant BHP has taken another step on the path towards a renewable energy future, commissioning a 48.2 MW solar-plus-storage hybrid power facility that will help power its Nickel West mining operations in regional Western Australia.
