Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Turkish EPC and module manufacturer, Smart Energy highlighted the importance of high-quality products and the perks of operating a giga-fab right at the gates of Europe to pv magazine at this year’s Intersolar Europe.

The thin film PV maker reports difficulties in ramping its new Series 6 product, as well as pressure from module price collapses.

India is currently the second largest market in the world for PV module demand. With China’s domestic demand frozen since the 31/5 notification, the country’s total module demand in 2018 will likely only achieve 32-34 GW. This will allow India, which may surpass 10 GW in annual demand, to reach 13% of global PV demand this year. As a result, the future of India’s trade war has become an influential factor in the global PV industry.

In what analysts worldwide are sure to look back on as the last golden period for global solar – at least for the immediate future – China saw more impressive figures for PV manufacturing in the first half of the year. Then the government stepped in.

Primearth EV Energy (PEVE) announces large-scale lithium-ion battery plans, Germany’s saferay receives financing for a 50 MW PV project, and RTS Corporation provides an update on Japan’s solar auctions.

The Switzerland-headquartered company has secured a contract for the delivery of its SmartWire solar module production line to an undisclosed customer in Southeast Asia.

The remarkable 4 GW of solar capacity added last year has seen Karnataka displace Tamil Nadu as the India’s renewables number one. And there is more to come, according to a new report, with PV set to account for a third of rising energy demand over the next decade.

Italy-based Glass to Power has raised €2.25 million via crowdfunding to advance its plans for the roll out of an industrial production line for its transparent solar PV windows. The product is expected to be marketed in 2019.

Stability and reliability, partial transparency, monolithic deposition onto flexible substrates, aesthetically pleasing appearance, applicability in roll-to-roll production, superior temperature coefficient, potential in tandem applications, and suitability for BIPV: The list of advantages that CIGS technology offers is well established and lengthy.

With production and capacity figures provided by industry analyst IHS Markit, pv magazine provides a rundown of the top 10 crystalline silicon module manufacturers based on 2017 production data, followed by a look at the market forces and technology trends that have shaped the supply landscape.