Q4 could be a ‘hot market’ for solar contract negotiations following China’s changes – BNEF Q&A
In a Q&A with Bloomberg NEF (BNEF), two solar analysts tell pv magazine they see no PV module price rebound, continuing oversupply, and falling utilization rates. They expect Q4 could be a “hot market” for contract negotiations, while Chinese developers will start overseas construction earlier than planned for two key reasons.
China’s CATL to invest €240 million in Europe’s first battery cell fab
The Chinese battery manufacturer has said it will establish a fab in Germany’s Thüringen with an annual capacity of 14 GWh. The battery cells will be primarily produced for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Up to 600 jobs are expected to be created. In related news, BMW has entered a €4 billion long-term partnership with CATL.
Amount of silver needed in solar cells to be more than halved by 2028, Silver Institute says
The US-based industry association finds the amount of silver loading may fall from 130 mg per cell in 2016 to approximately 65 mg by 2028. Alternative and cheaper raw materials, such as copper and aluminum, are not expected to replace silver in commercial cell production, at least in the next decade.
Balkan update: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina ready for their biggest PV projects, Macedonia inaugurates first module fab
With Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, announcing a tender to build a 65 MW solar PV plant; Croatia planning a 6.5 MW solar PV installation, to be built on the Island of Cres; and Macedonia welcoming its first solar panel manufacturing plant, capable of producing 20 MW annually – it has been a busy period for the small solar markets in the Balkans.
Replacement for CdTe: Copper-nitride conductor for thin film discovered
A novel method developed in Tokyo, Japan, allows a nitride crystal to grow, which can function as both an n- and p-type conductor. The material can replace cadmium-telluride (CdTe) in thin films, and make such solar cells more environmentally friendly, while enabling greater efficiencies, the researchers claim.
Thin film manufacturer, Calyxo finds new investor
TS Group GmbH has taken over the entire business of the insolvent PV manufacturer. All of the German company’s 130 workers will continue to be employed. Production of cadmium telluride thin film PV modules at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen site, near Berlin, will continue.
Recom acquires Jabil’s solar module production lines
The PV module manufacturer started negotiations with Jabil, after the U.S. introduced duties on solar imports. Recom plans to restart manufacturing activities with Jabil’s 700 MW production equipment in the first quarter of 2019. Where exactly this will take place, however, has not been disclosed yet.
Norway’s REC Silicon lays off 40% of US workforce, reduces production
REC Silicon ASA has announced that it will today lay off around 100 employees from its workforce based in Washington, the U.S., and reduce production, as a “direct result” of the trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
Scaling string inverters in India – Interview
Jayant Parimal is the CEO of Renewable Energy at Adani Enterprises, which has developed more than 1 GW of PV projects in India in partnership with Huawei. Recently, pv magazine caught up with Mr. Parimal in India to discuss the massive opportunities in the country, and Adani’s switch from central to string inverters.
Irico starts production at second solar glass factory in China
The manufacturing facility is aiming to produce enough glass to satisfy production of approximately 3.7 GW of solar PV modules per year. The company is also planning to build a 2 GW module factory in Zhangjiagang.
