Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Calyxo, a German cadmium telluride solar module manufacturer, has filed for insolvency for the second time, despite the recent emergence of new prospective investors. Meanwhile, Crystalsol – an Austrian flexible solar panel maker – has also initiated insolvency proceedings, due to losses of roughly €7 million.

The country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has provided new market share figures for the domestic PV sector that contradict recent media claims that Chinese manufacturers have been aggressively ramping up their local presence at the expense of Korean module makers. The government has also confirmed plans to prioritize PV projects made with low-carbon, high-efficiency modules.

The Japanese electronics giant has unveiled three monocrystalline half-cut cell modules said to provide 2-3% better performance than standard, full cell panels. The claimed efficiency of the modules exceeds 19.5% and Sharp says power output ranges from 330-395 W.

A team at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has come up with a new process that would reduce the production cost of highly expensive – and highly efficient – gallium arsenide cells.

The U.S. thin-film manufacturer continues to deny having misled stockholders over solar module defects between 2008 and 2012 and said the settlement had been reached to close the historic legal action and permit the company to remove the uncertainty associated with it.

A research team from the University of Huddersfield used electron microscopy to analyze micro-cracks in 4,000 polycrystalline silicon solar cell samples. The results showed power losses may vary from 0.9-42.8%, and increased temperatures due to micro-cracking may favor the formation of permanent hot spots in the cells.

Researchers at the American Institute of Physics have used the clear-sky irradiance model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to measure the degradation rates of solar panels at a testing field in Germany over five years. The scientists say the model, when combined with real-world data, offers an efficient tool to evaluate the aging of PV technology.

The Chinese manufacturer debuted on the Shenzhen exchange in mid December, after de-listing from New York’s NASDAQ in 2018. The company plans to roll out 10 GW of new module capacity and 5 GW of cell lines over four years.

Sun Da has moved to become the lithium energy storage and electric vehicle battery company’s second largest investor, raising HK$10.3 million for the business in the process.

By this time next year we may be able to wave goodbye to that old chestnut about renewables endangering security of supply. Elsewhere, the price of lithium – and the products it goes into – could go either way after tanking this year.