United States

The Swiss solar equipment maker has endorsed a claim by Chinese solar manufacturer Longi that the technology it uses differs from that at the center of Hanwha Q Cells’ patent infringement complaints.

With the passage of the Energy Transition Act in both houses of New Mexico’s legislature, the state is poised to join California and Hawaii in setting a mandate to fully decarbonize its electricity system by 2045.

Definitive data from analyst Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association show tariffs taking a bite out of the U.S. market, but also a near-record number of new projects under contract.

Solar Promotion and FMMI have sold off the event to Maine-based Diversified Communications, which plans to hold the next Intersolar North America and EES in San Diego in February 2020.

Motivated by steeply declining cost curves, leading utilities are building solar portfolios around the globe. The latest statistics show the cumulative capacity of the biggest utility-scale solar plant owners topped 18 GW at the end of last year, with power companies in China, the U.S. and India to the fore.

The Norwegian manufacturer said Hanwha Q Cells’ legal action in Germany has not started yet, and it will take all necessary steps to defend itself against patent infringement allegations.

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, working with Cambridge University, programmed a ‘supercomputer’ to narrow down a list of almost 10,000 materials with the potential to be used in dye-sensitized solar cells to just five that fit their parameters for high performance, low cost and low environmental impact.

The Chinese monocrystalline module maker said it had not been notified of the legal action by its Korean rival. Longi claimed there is considerable uncertainty over the validity of the patents at the root of the lawsuits, which the Chinese defendant says relate to ALD technology. Longi says it uses PECVD technology for cell production.

The Chinese module maker “categorically refutes” allegations made by its rival that it is using Hanwha’s passivation technology on its solar cells. Jinko added, it does not expect any disruption to normal operations as a result of the lawsuit.

The U.S. manufacturer has rolled out its new A-Series modules as the first product using its NGT solar cells, based on larger wafers and a streamlined manufacturing process. But will it be enough to get SunPower back in black?