Asia

In a white paper, the three Chinese module manufacturers have reiterated the well-known refrain “bigger is not always better.” Experts from the three companies compared the BoS costs of 182mm-wafer-based modules and 210mm products, and found that the former have a slight advantage in racking, foundation, and land costs.

Jinchen Machinery has landed module production equipment orders from leading Indian solar manufacturers. It has already installed 2 GW of production lines and plans to supply the balance within three months. The company will open an India office in Surat, in the state of Gujarat.

First-half profits will be up at solar panel glassmaker Xinyi Solar despite the fact the price of the module raw material has been on a downward trend in the current three-month window.

Ruchi Gupta is a research fellow at the University of Geneva’s Institute for Environmental Sciences. She focuses on how flexibility options, such as sector coupling with hydrogen production, can support renewable energy integration and decarbonize a wide range of sectors.

PV module prices have risen by 15% to 20% over the last four to five months. PV modules account for about 50% to 55% of overall project costs, so such price increases could moderate debt service coverage metrics for developers.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has allocated RMB500 million (US$78.1 million) for the incentive scheme for residential PV in 2021. Chinese electronic engineer TBEA is set to raise its controlling stake in polysilicon manufacturer Xinte Energy as it attempts to fund a planned 100,000-tons-per-year fab in Inner Mongolia.

The move is intended at helping the solar sector recover from the delays caused by the Covid-19 crisis. The Taiwanese government has also granted a three-month grace period for project completion.

Such a decision, which industry body the CPIA is adamant has already been announced, could make all the difference to investors struggling with a surge in equipment costs fueled by the polysilicon shortage. The all-important National Energy Administration, however, has yet to confirm whether the CPIA’s interpretation is correct.

Goldi Solar is setting up a 2 GW factory in the Indian state of Gujarat, increasing its manufacturing capacity to 2.5 GW. The new facility will use micro-gap module technology to produce mono-facial and bifacial modules with peak power outputs exceeding 600 W.

State-run power company NTPC wants to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen instead of diesel for back-up power and micro-grid application.