Highlights

Longi Solar will set up a 1 GW solar PV manufacturing facility in India’s Andhra Pradesh. It will manufacture 500 MW of cells and 500 MW of modules, a spokesperson tells pv magazine. The facility is expected to be commissioned by Q1 2019 at the latest, and will seek to take advantage of India’s partial exemption from the recent U.S. solar tariffs, imposed by President Trump last week.

The energy storage company will receive the money from three different investors, including the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

By reinforcing the anode’s structure with graphene girders, researchers at the U.K.’s University of Warwick have found an effective approach to replacing graphite in the anodes using silicon, thus boosting the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, and more than doubling lifespans.

The truck maker is to partner with Northvolt on developing and commercializing battery cells for use in heavy commercial vehicles.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) today announced a 9.09% increase to FIT rates originally proposed in September for rooftop solar installations up 20 kW, in a bid to encourage further public participation in its Green Energy Roofs project.

Interview: Iran intends to build new PV and wind power plants totaling 5 GW in the coming years. The first PPAs have already been signed. Among them, Germany’s Geon secured a FIT contract for a 120 MW solar park. The company’s managing director, Sharam Roghani explains why this is only half the battle and why financing projects in Iran remains difficult. He has not found a lender yet, and time is running out.

The U.S. President’s proclamation provides a path for specific products to apply for exemption from tariffs, which had been sought by both SunPower and the government of South Korea. Additionally, imports from a number of developing nations are exempt as long as import levels remain small.

As anticipated, the fallout from U.S. President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 30% on solar imports has been big. The latest reactions include the Korean Government’s announcement that it will file a petition with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Mexico’s promise of legal action. BNEF, meanwhile, expects module costs to increase by US$0.10/W.

In an interview with pv magazine, the president of the Colombian solar energy association SER Colombia, Alejandro Lucio Chaustre, explains what expectations are being created by the upcoming auction for solar and renewables, announced by the Colombian Government at the beginning of November.

The 15 year feed-in tariff (FIT) for solar power units with a capacity of up to 250 kW for this year will be maintaned at the same level of that of the past three years.