Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

PV module prices are at a level we have not seen since last fall – a fact that is mainly down to very high transport costs for container shipments. This is an insight that was shared in this column last month. This month, we discuss whether and how bolstering local value creation through European cell and module production could lead to an end of dependence on Asia and break the upward cost spiral. But first, let’s have a look at the current price trends.

India headquartered multinational Reliance Industries, through its subsidiary Reliance New Energy Solar Limited, yesterday announced the acquisition of Norway headquartered module manufacturer REC Group. The move comes as Reliance pushes forward with its US$10 billion plan to move in on the renewable energy industry, having also this week announced acquisition of a 40% share in EPC provider Sterling & Wilson.

The acquisition gives Reliance New Energy Solar access to Sterling and Wilson Solar’s PV plant engineering and project management skills as it aspires to become a global leader in green energy based on the latest and most cost-competitive technologies and development capabilities.

Half-cut solar cells have quickly grown to become an industry standard, promising more power through reduced cell-to-module losses, among other advantages. Innovative processes have been introduced to reduce cell damage during the actual cutting process, but even these still leave behind an unpassivated area at the edge of the cell, which can result in performance losses. As cell efficiencies increase, this will only become more of a problem. pv magazine examines the possible solutions.

Luoyang Glass is planning to deploy two solar glass production lines with an annual capacity of 1,200 tons each and wafer maker Wuxi Shangji has secured a big supply agreement from Longsheng New Energy. Furthermore, Tongwei has reported increasing profits driven by its polysilicon business.

The Singapore-based manufacturer operates two factories in the Baja California state bordering the United States and the entire output of the facility in Mexicali will be shipped exclusively to the US market. Furthermore, the company’s chief revenue officer, Mark Babcock, told pv magazine that a manufacturing facility is also being considered in the US.

The double-glass product has dimensions of 2,384 x 1,303 x 35 mm and a weight of 38 kg. It is based on the company’s n-type TOPCon 2.0 cell technology dubbed Niwa Max, which the manufacturer said reached efficiencies of up to 25.4% in the laboratory. The module’s efficiency ranges from 21.73 to 22.53%.

The South African Department of Mineral Resources launched a tech-neutral procurement process for 2 GW of capacity in August 2020 in response to a chronic short-term electricity supply gap in the country.

Unigreen Energy plans to open a 1.3 GW, vertically integrated factory in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Initially, the facility will have an annual module production capacity of around 500 MW.

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