Four leading Taiwanese cell makers plan module JV – reports
The DigiTimes has reported that four solar cell manufacturers from Taiwan are planning to set up a 1.5 GWp module production facility in the country, led by Motech.
GCL-Poly investing $826m in construction of 60,000 MT polysilicon plant in China
The clean energy company is spending RMB 5.68 billion on the creation of the poly plant, which will comprise 40,000 tonnes of new production capacity and 20,000 tonnes of relocated capacity from the firm’s existing facility in Xuzhou.
Natcore’s Foil Cell creeps closer to commercialization
The U.S. cell manufacturer announced a partnership with Italian manufacturer Coveme to accelerate the development and commercialization of Natcore’s latest cell innovation.
Enel plans to start solar cell production, announces developments for 34 MW in Zambia and 238 MW in Mexico
The Italian utility is laying the foundations for solar cell production at its PV panel manufacturing facility. The final goal of the project is 1 GW commercial cell production. Meanwhile, Enel Green Power has secured the PPA for a 34 MW PV facility in Zambia, and has broken ground on a 238 MW solar park in Mexico.
Tempress & ECN develop process for IBC cell production
Equipment manufacturer Tempress has teamed up with Dutch research center ECN to develop a production process for n-type IBC solar cells with efficiency above 21%. A pilot of the new process was completed in just three months, illustrating its compatibility with mass production.
Suniva lays off workers in Georgia, Michigan
The company is reporting a “significant reduction in force” across all areas of its operations.
Bernreuter Research: Wacker was the largest polysilicon manufacturer in 2016.
With a production output of 70,000 MT, Wacker was the largest producer of polysilicon last year. The previous market leader, Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon, has had technical problems with the commissioning of its fluidized-bed reactor technology.
Centrotherm’s order intake rose 55% in 2016
The German PV equipment manufacturer saw its order intake grow by 55% to €141.8 million (US$152.3 million) last year. The solar division was able to increase its turnover by 31%.
Hevel producing heterojunction solar cells with Singulus technology
The Russian PV manufacturer aims to produce 160 MW of heterojunction solar cells annually at its fab in Novocheboksarsk. Hevel says it has upgraded its production from thin-film to crystalline modules.
Commercial production of REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 Series begins
The Singapore-based PV manufacturer is taking the uniformly black-colored version of its TwinPeak solar module to the factory floor.
