China

Renac Power’s new hybrid inverters have efficiency ratings of up to 97.5% and European efficiency ratings of 97.2%. They are available in four versions, with power outputs ranging from 3 kW to 6 kW.

Esysunhome (ESYSH), a new energy storage company in China, has developed a 5.12 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system with a 7.9 kW inverter. It says six modules can be combined for up to 30.72 kWh of energy storage capacity.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says the country installed 87.41 GW of new PV capacity in 2022.

Longi Solar said it will invest CNY 42.5 billion ($6.65 billion) in 100 GW of wafer capacity and 50 GW of solar cell capacity in Shaanxi province, China.

Chinese manufacturer Hoymiles has developed a new line of microinverters with up to 96.7% efficiency and outputs of up to 2,000 VA. It said they can be connected with up to four high-power solar modules.

French research institute CEA-INES has produced a 566 W heterojunction (HJT) demonstrator PV panel using Norwegian silicon wafers based on German polysilicon and solar cells made in France. The prototype has a carbon footprint of 317 kgCO2eq/kW, which is considerably lower than the maximum 800 kgCO2eq/kW standard for Chinese products.

Trina Solar has filed a patent lawsuit related to several products developed by Hanwha Q Cells, and has revealed that the Chinese customs authorities have already seized some of them.

SC Solar has secured a $41.78 million supply contract from India’s Reliance, while Jinchen Machinery has announced plans to raise CNY 1 billion ($148.6 million) to expand its capacity and develop new heterojunction cell and module production lines.

Trina Solar said it will start operating a new 6.5 GW solar wafer factory in Vietnam from mid-2023 to exclusively supply the utility, commercial and industrial (C&I) segments in the United States, as well as the US residential solar market.

The photovoltaic industry is expected to achieve annual global expansion of 300 GW as early as this year. That sounds like a lot, but is it enough? In view of climate change and rising energy demand, it is time for a new vision.