Solar-Fabrik announces job losses
Germanys Solar-Fabrik has announced it will reduce its workforce by 65 in Freiburg. The move will make the troubled solar company more attractive to investors, it says.
Yingli issues statement refuting liquidation reports
Chinese solar giant states that it is “optimistic” and “confident” about its ability to continue servicing the global market, following recent reports to the contrary. Company announces keenly awaited conference call.
Update: Jordan’s unveils successful bids under second tender
The successful bidders under Jordans second 200 MW PV tender round have been announced. Two from Saudi Arabia have generated hopes for a spillover of the uplifting solar mood to the nearby Arab state.
Canadian Solar secures US$44 million loan for Ontario PV plant
Canadian Solar Inc. has secured a US$44 million non-recourse construction loan facility for its 10 MW utility-scale PV plant, located in Ontario.
US: SEIA forecasts 25-50% solar market growth in 2016
SEIA forecasts 25-50% market growth in all U.S. solar sectors by 2016. Analyzing the industry from 2004 to 2014, the association finds “huge” growth rates in the employment and investment sectors, in addition to solar deployment. It forecasts 40 GW of cumulative capacity by the end of 2016.
Stationary storage costs to remain high, despite predictions of $172/kWh Li-ion battery costs
Lux Research predicts that costs for “best-in-class” players’ lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs will fall to US$172/kWh by 2025. These prices will primarily benefit the electric vehicle (EV) industry, however, with the stationary storage market continuing to see significantly higher prices.
Panasonic aims for 1GW global PV module production
Panasonic Corporation is adding new capacity to two of its existing HIT PV module production lines in Japan under a US$79.3 million capital investment. It aims to increase global capacity to over one GW by 2016.
Photon Energy records slight Q1 improvement
Photon Energy N.V. has seen market conditions improve slightly in Q1 2015. Despite this, it still recorded a loss of 1.726 million. O&M activity is particularly strong.
Solar to play key role in Ghana's US$230 million renewable energy program
The Ghanaian Government is looking to strengthen its renewable energy industry. A total of US$230 million has been earmarked for the scale-up, which is expected to see solar PV play a significant role. Financing will come from a number of sources. The country’s investment climate has attracted criticism, however.
Jordan’s second PV tender leads to record low tariffs
Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has chosen the winners of its second tender round. Overall, four 50 MW PV plants have been selected at record low tariffs, serving to highlight increased efficiencies, falling equipment costs and grid parity advances in the PV industry.
