Gigafactory

Plus, there was plenty of hope in predictions made by Norwegian institute DNV GL but U.S. households are facing hefty energy bills just as data from Delhi showed the link between industrial shutdowns and cleaner skies.

The Western Downs solar farm will deploy German power electronics made in Australia, with SMA announcing that it has picked up a contract to supply the 400 MW (AC) project.

Tesla’s Nevada operation is still open for business, though. The EV and battery maker has assured the market its cash position is strong enough to weather an “extended period of uncertainty”.

The High Administrative Court of the Brandenburg region temporarily stopped preparatory work at the site in Grünheide, near Berlin at the weekend. A final decision from the local administration is expected “in a timely manner”.

The Chinese panel maker is already producing bifacial half cut modules at its new Anhui fab after the completion of an initial 2.5 GW phase of operations. And the company president confirmed Longi is on track for 45 GW of mono wafer and ingot production capacity next year.

The electric carmaker has signed 12-month credit agreements with three of China’s ‘Big Four’ lenders as well as the development bank for Shanghai as it aims to get its lower-priced Model 3s rolling off the production line by the end of the year.

In a bombshell announcement at the start of the week, the PV company said it would construct a gigawatt solar module fab in Austria. Now, Rene Battistutti, CEO at Energetica Group tells pv magazine why he believes the company’s modules are competitive with Asian products.

Production of high-efficiency solar PV modules in the Austrian region of Carinthia should commence as early as December 2018. Using a fully automated production line, Energetica Industries says it is well equipped for competition with Asian manufacturers.

The report found over 3,200 employees working at the factory at the end of 2017, and US$3.7 billion in invested in the plant.

Tesla described the test production as an “interim milestone” and told AP that it expects to begin ramping production by the end of the year.