China

Oil and gas company Total has announced it will work alongside Shanghai-based NIO – the world’s inaugural Formula E champion – to develop products for a potentially huge electric vehicle marketplace in the populous Asian nation.

India is currently the second largest market in the world for PV module demand. With China’s domestic demand frozen since the 31/5 notification, the country’s total module demand in 2018 will likely only achieve 32-34 GW. This will allow India, which may surpass 10 GW in annual demand, to reach 13% of global PV demand this year. As a result, the future of India’s trade war has become an influential factor in the global PV industry.

In what analysts worldwide are sure to look back on as the last golden period for global solar – at least for the immediate future – China saw more impressive figures for PV manufacturing in the first half of the year. Then the government stepped in.

With production and capacity figures provided by industry analyst IHS Markit, pv magazine provides a rundown of the top 10 crystalline silicon module manufacturers based on 2017 production data, followed by a look at the market forces and technology trends that have shaped the supply landscape.

Longi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd has signed a significant sales contract for the shipment of solar PV modules to an unidentified customer in the U.S.

The proposed safeguard tariffs on imports from China and Malaysia are expected to generate a number of painful short-term impacts. Overall they are not expected to change much in the market, however, says TrendForce. What will have a bigger effect is the EU’s final MIP decision, due in September.

Norway headquartered polysilicon producer, REC Silicon posted a loss of US$9.6 million for the second quarter of 2018, amid reduced production and increasing inventory. The company’s Solar Materials segment was responsible for much of these losses, with decreased demand and ongoing trade wars cited as the cause.

Chinese module giant JA Solar has announced the completion of a merger that makes it the latest in a line of solar manufacturers to voluntarily de-list from a major stock exchange.

High-ranking officials from China and the EU have signed a joint statement to foster technological and political co-operation in clean energy. The regions will also develop emissions trading systems further, with officials seeing such schemes as a policy tool to foster innovation for a low-carbon economy.

Phased import tariff would fall to 20% 12 months after introduction and 15% for final six months of a proposed two-year period. Industry watchers say the cost of Indian solar energy could rise by up to 30%.