Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Tempestuous trade conditions and policy uncertainty have led to module price fragmentation in the United States. Ahead of an expected reduction in manufacturing capacity utilization, leading manufacturers in China produced a high volume of cells in the spring. OPIS editorial director Hanwei Wu explains the latest market developments.

Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) has become a central concept in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, especially under recent regulatory initiatives like the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). While implementation of DMA will only become mandatory for many companies over the next few years, there are already discussions at the EU commission in Brussels about simplifying the process to ease adoption. As an early adopter, Trinasolar shares insights on the purpose and benefits of DMA, makes a strong case for full-scope transparency, and reflects on key learnings from the 2024 DMA matrix rollout.

The quality assurance provider reported India-based Insolation Energy, Waaree Renewable Technologies, and Solex Energy maintained their top three spots in the ranking this quarter. The number of companies with healthier Altmann-Z scores stayed the same at nine.

Waaree Energies has commenced production at its new 1.8 GW solar module factory in western India.

An international research team has tested a hybrid control technique combining adapted perturb and observe (APO) with model-predictive control to address complex partial shading in solar arrays. The method, validated through simulation and physical experiments, reportedly outperforms existing approaches.

It’s no secret that prices throughout the solar supply chain have been at rock bottom over the past 18 months. Alex Barrows and Molly Morgan of CRU Group explore how the market reached the imbalance that caused PV prices to crash, what this has meant for innovation, and how it might affect future technology transitions.

German researchers have reviewed recent studies on hydrogen-related degradation in silicon solar cells. They said the work is timely, with n-type silicon dominating production and antimony-doping emerging.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

An international research team has tested a floating PV system with a “soft-connected” configuration under offshore conditions, using six modular pontoons linked by elastic bar elements to simulate mooring lines and connection ropes.

Researchers in India have developed a cooling technology that uses calcium chloride for atmospheric water harvesting. The system reportedly improves PV module yields by up to 18%.