Solar Philippines inaugurates country’s first PV panel factory
Solar Philippines officially opened the country’s first PV module plant with an inauguration ceremony attended by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week. It claims the facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas province, will produce 800 MW of solar panels in 2018.
1366 Technologies, Hanwha Q Cells hit 20.3% cell efficiency with Direct Wafer process
U.S. based PV innovator 1366 Technologies, and Korean PV manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS have announced a new performance record for cells produced using 1366’s Direct Wafer technique. The cells achieved 20.3% efficiency, which has been independently confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE.
Irico posts $7.01 million profit in H1
China’s irico Group New Energy has recorded a profit of CNY 46.7 million ($7.014 million) in the first half of 2017, up roughly 43.9% year on year, as revenue from its PV business jumped 27% to CNY 592.5 million.
Audi, Hanergy unit to jointly develop PV for vehicles
German automaker Audi and California-based Alta Devices — a wholly owned subsidiary of troubled Chinese PV group Hanergy Thin Film Power (HTF) — have agreed to collaborate on thin-film solar research, with plans to exhibit a PV-integrated Audi prototype vehicle by the end of this year.
India imposes antidumping duty on tempered glass from China
The Indian Ministry of Finance has imposed an antidumping duty on tempered glass imported from China in the range from $64.04 to $136.21 per metric ton.
Midsummer picks up new thin-film equipment orders
The Swedish PV equipment supplier has received an order for two of its DUO thin-film cell manufacturing lines. Midsummer has not named the company which placed the order, but states that it is a repeat order from an existing customer.
Father and son Australian company develops lightweight, solar-powered drone
The new drone features standard solar cells, which are encapsulated in composite material without losing efficiency.
SunPower announces pilot line for new back-contact technology
The new 5 MW line in Silicon Valley will produce cells and modules under a new IBC technology from the company that makes the most powerful commercially available silicon solar products.
Hanwha Q-Cells to inaugurate Turkey panel factory in November
The winning consortium of Turkey’s tender for a 1 GW solar PV plant in Konya has announced its plan to also inaugurate a panel factory in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, in November. pv magazine provides an update on the 1 GW PV plant and the solar panel factory.
Energyra to build solar module factory in the Netherlands
The manufacturing facility will have an initial capacity of 100 MW and will produce both mono and polycrystalline modules.
