Asia

Following the completion of a 10 MW solar PV plant on the Iranian island of Qeshm, the Italian company is now planning to build another two projects with a capacity of 100 MW each in the country.

The Chinese solar power plant operator has agreed to acquire the projects for around US$13 million in its largest-ever transaction. At the end of November, the company’s PV plant portfolio in China reached 180 MW.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, and Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi both inaugurated Engie’s 75 MW PV plant on March 12, 2018, in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. On the occasion, France-based Engie also announced the status of another two PV, and two wind projects.

Panasonic’s Chinese factory has started the mass production and global supply of prismatic-type automotive lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Its Indian subsidiary, Panasonic India, meanwhile has launched a new energy storage solution, CBPS 8000, for telecom towers at the Elecrama 2018 exhibition, currently taking place in India.

India’s Topaz Solar Private Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with France-based Appolon Solar SAS for the supply of a complete turnkey system for manufacturing bifacial PV modules.

Shareholders have agreed to the proposed merger of JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd with JASO Holdings and its wholly owned units, JASO Parent and JASO Acquisition, thus taking the manufacturer one step closer to privatization.

Risen Energy has revealed it has committed to investing CNY 10 billion (US$1.58 billion) in the expansion of its solar PV cell and module production operations in China since December.

The ISA founding ceremony, held on Sunday March 11 in New Delhi, India, was a highlight in the 2018 solar calendar. French President, Emmanuel Macron announced €700 million in support through loans and donations by 2022, while several other financial deals and MoUs were also signed. Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi further outlined 10 action points to help the spread of solar energy.

Eric Luo, the recently appointed CEO at GCL-Si, met with pv magazine at the recent PV Expo in Japan to discuss the company’s Japanese and global marketing strategies, technological innovation and China’s position in the PV market in 2018.

Solar in Japan: As Japan continues to wean itself off nuclear power, solar PV has assumed a vital role in aiding the transition to renewable energy. In Fukushima, a series of solar plants have already been installed, but one new addition to the region – a module fab – poses an altogether different set of challenges and opportunities, as pv magazine’s managing editor Ian Clover found out.