Bankruptcy or acquisition facing half of PV manufacturers
“At least” half of the worlds existing photovoltaic manufacturers will either go bankrupt or be taken over, according to Ernst & Young and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Meanwhile, they have identified three key solar trends: financing innovations; residential grid parity; and the trading of large project portfolios.
Motech to sell US polysilicon facilities
Motech Industries Inc. has announced it will sell off its U.S. polysilicon manufacturing operations, due to the “drastically” changing solar industry and weak economies of scale.
India: Kashmir's move towards solar
An 18 kilowatt solar power plant at a sub-district hospital in Charar-i-Sharief, located in the disputed northwestern Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, was inaugurated today. A high level meeting also took place to iron out energy issues in the state.
Samil Power takes on 2.6 GW PV project in China
Inverter manufacturer and project developer, Samil Power Co. Ltd has signed an agreement worth US$4.8 billion, under which it will install a total of 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic plants.
MiaSole hits 15.5 percent efficiency with flexible CIGS module
MiaSole has reached a new copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film photovoltaic module efficiency. The results have been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
China retaliates, finds US in violation of free-trade rules
According to Bloomberg, Chinas Ministry of Commerce has identified five U.S. states which have violated free-trade rules. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the trade case looks likely to move to Europe.
CIS/CIGS: Diversity delivers opportunities and challenges
A new report into the CIS/CIGS photovoltaic manufacturing market, by market and technology analysts Yole Développement, has concluded that while a number of small copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) manufacturers are likely not to survive present market conditions, opportunities still remain.
PV profitability could be achieved by raising prices just 1 percent
Price is crucial and will remain the most important driver, according to a new study. Raising prices for photovoltaic modules by one or two percent would see a return to profitability for some of the major solar players, and is “more realistic” than selling more megawatts. Localized sales teams and partner programs are also identified as key.
Q.Cells and CCC realize PV plant in Abu Dhabi
Germany-based Q.Cells SE and Greek Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) have realized a 368 kilowatt peak (kWp) off-grid rooftop photovoltaic system in the desert in Abu Dhabi. It is said to be the first project of its kind in the UAE.
France: Total and SunPower commission 44 MWp module plant
Oil giant Total, and its affiliate, U.S.-based SunPower have commissioned a new photovoltaic module factory in eastern France.
