South Korea

The South Korean PV manufacturer has finalized its plan to merge with Hanwha Solar. The company will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and will continue as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hanwha Chemicals.

German concern Kaco has sold its central inverter business. The German manufacturer hopes to focus on its string inverter and energy storage branches while the South Korean buyer hopes the newly acquired knowhow can improve the energy efficiency of its large-scale PV parks.

According to IHS Markit, energy storage inverter shipments are on track to reach 3 GW in 2018, growing to 7 GW by 2022. Currently, SMA is the market leader. Overall, the competitive landscape is “highly volatile” with expectations that consolidation will continue.

The South Korean PV manufacturer saw sales increase slightly in the last quarter. Net losses, however, more than quadrupled compared to the previous period.

The storage system company, in which Solaredge recently acquired a majority share, has said it will commission two large storage systems in South Korea before the end of the year. The market looks somewhat promising according to recent government initiatives, like the ‘Renewable Energy 3020’ plan and a 3 GW solar park on reclaimed land.

The micro-grid will convert electricity into hydrogen by using a power-to-gas technology.

Hanwha Q Cells is continuing its collaboration with CGN Power Group. The manufacturer is delivering its Q.Peak-G5 mono-crystalline PERC solar modules to a 150 MW site in China’s Hubei province.

The rise of batteries will attract that headline figure in investment up to 2040, say analysts, as exponential growth in EV ownership, falling stationery system costs and the needs of the world’s grid-poor regions combine to boost lithium-ion technology.

President Moon Jae-in yesterday announced plans for a 3 GW project. South Korea plans to add 30 GW of PV by 2030, to improve the country’s hitherto poor renewable energy performance.

In a joint effort with Kia Motors, Hyundai Motors is developing solar roofs and bodies for its EVs, hybrids and ICE vehicles to provide additional charging capacity. Depending on solar irradiation levels, the technology could provide 30-60% battery charge per day, the manufacturer says.