Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi to grow by 10 GW, China opens world’s largest floating PV project
Plus, equipment manufacturer Shangji Automation is set to enter the silicon ingot making game with plans for an 8 GW fab, while state-owned developer Panda Green says it plans to add 500 MW of annual project capacity over the next three years.
Russian solar manufacturer goes green
Hevel Group has announced it will source all the 65 GWh required annually to run its Novocheboksarsk factory from renewables sources via the wholesale market.
Panasonic unveils first smart city in Berlin
A new project in the German capital combines a range of intelligent energy solutions, including PV systems, storage tanks, and air-to-water heat pumps integrated into an efficient energy management system.
Heterojunction MWT solar module based on 23%-efficient cells
Scientists in the Netherlands have claimed that a heterojunction metal wrap-through solar module they are designing could offer a 4% performance improvement over conventional heterojunction panels.
European consortium bid to bring 25.4%-efficient heterojunction-IBC solar cell into mass production
The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.
New metallization paste range from Heraeus
The SOL 7 series comprises five products for Perc, Topcon and heterojunction devices.
Solar parks may have better biodiversity impact than intensive monoculture farming
A research project in the Netherlands is seeking to assess the impact of large scale PV projects on soil quality and biodiversity. Principal scientist Wim Sinke, of Dutch research center TNO, says well-designed and operated and maintained solar parks could prove to have better outcomes than monoculture farming.
REC Group mulls French module gigafactory
The Norwegian solar manufacturer is considering a 2 GW heterojunction solar module factory in Sarreguemines, in the northeast of the country.
Talesun to bet big on advanced technologies
Chinese solar manufacturer Talesun has announced plans to raise up to $226 million to expand PV cell and module production capacity by up to 2 GW, with a focus on heterojunction and TOPCon technologies.
Change at the top for Meyer Burger after €37m loss
The Swiss PV equipment supplier posted the loss for 2019, citing increasingly fierce competition in China, and plans to continue a strategic realignment of its business with the options including the establishment of a European PV manufacturing operation.
