Panasonic posts $1.04 billion profit in H1
Panasonic recorded a net profit of JPY 118.9 billion ($1.04 billion) for the first half of the current fiscal year, from JPY 133.5 billion a year earlier, as sales of its PV systems fell.
Panasonic to stop PV production at factory in Japan
Panasonic has decided to stop producing PV modules at a factory it owns near Kyoto, Japan.
Panasonic to close US ingot factory and eliminate 92 jobs
In its announcement, the company cited “business conditions in [its] part of the solar industry” as the reason for the closure, making it the second Oregon solar company to announce a closure in the past month.
Tesla begins production of solar cells at Buffalo gigafactory
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.
Itochu to develop 507 kW array with storage in Indonesia
Japanese trading firm Itochu has revealed plans to install 507 kW solar on the roof of a new mall in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Sunseap signs 25-year PPA for 5 MW in Singapore
Singapore’s Sunseap Group has agreed to sell PV-generated electricity to ST Kinetics over a 25-year period across five locations in the Southeast Asian city-state.
Audi, Hanergy unit to jointly develop PV for vehicles
German automaker Audi and California-based Alta Devices — a wholly owned subsidiary of troubled Chinese PV group Hanergy Thin Film Power (HTF) — have agreed to collaborate on thin-film solar research, with plans to exhibit a PV-integrated Audi prototype vehicle by the end of this year.
QTC Energy unit buys 15% stake in GEP
Bangkok-based QTC Global Power has paid 67.84 million baht ($1.9 million) for a stake in Thai PV developer Green Earth Power (GEP), which is building a 220 MW solar installation in Myanmar.
Panasonic’s 2016 profit falls 9.6% as solar sales sag
The Japanese electronics group posted a net profit attributable to shareholders of JPY 149.4 billion ($1.3 billion) in the fiscal year to the end of March — from JPY 165.2 billion a year earlier — as declining sales of solar panels in Japan eroded its earnings. The group’s net sales fell more than 3% on the year to JPY 7343.7 billion, although its operating profit rose to JPY 276.8 billion, from just JPY 230.3 billion a year earlier.
Kyocera says PV output steady despite domestic plant closure
The Japanese manufacturer says it expects to produce about 1 GW of solar panels in the year to March 2018, roughly in line with its output in the preceding fiscal year.
