Chinese PV Industry Brief: 3 GW of panel procurement, new PV glass capacity
Seven PV module manufacturers – including JinkoSolar, Longi and JA Solar – won supply contracts this week in a 3 GW procurement round held by China National Nuclear Corp. Flat Glass revealed plans to raise $282.6 million to expand production, while the National Energy Administration reported growth in the residential PV segment.
Meyer Burger moves to become a solar cell and module manufacturer
Through a CHF165 million capital increase, the Swiss company intends to finance the expansion of capacities for highly efficient solar cells and solar modules in Germany. Production is scheduled to start next year. The strategic partnership with REC Group has been discontinued.
New production equipment for large-area perovskite solar cells
National Taiwan University and Taiwanese PV production equipment provider E-Sun Precision Industrial Co. have developed equipment to produce different kinds of perovskite cells with varying chemical compositions. The first trials achieved 14.3% conversion efficiency rates.
Trina Solar launches TrinaPro Mega ultra-high-power PV solution
As the solar industry starts to embrace ultra-high-efficiency modules, the Chinese PV heavyweight has unveiled TrinaPro Mega, the first integrated solar system in the world that incorporates 500 W+ modules.
Hungary to launch renewables auction in July
The maximum size of eligible projects has been increased from 20 MW to 50 MW. The Hungarian government aims to contract around 390 GWh of generating capacity per year, with 40h GW to be reserved for the Small PVPP category, including installations between 300 kW and 1 MW in size. It will set aside 350 GWh for the Large PVPP group, which includes projects ranging in size from 1 MW to 50 MW.
Spherical monocrystalline solar cells with 18.93% efficiency
The spherical 3D cells can reportedly generate around 101% more power than conventional flat solar cells. Measurements have also shown that the spherical cells provide a 10% lower maximum temperature compared to flat cells, while accumulating less dust.
US module shipments spiked in quantity, plunged in price amid pandemic
Manufacturers shipped about 2.05 GW of PV modules in March, before plummeting to 1.24 GW in April. But while shipments slowed, the cost per watt peak reached a record low.
Kstar launches all-in-one residential battery inverter solution
Its new line of residential hybrid storage systems integrates Kstar inverter technology with the lithium-ion storage technology of Chinese battery specialist CATL.
French railway operator buys 40 MW of power through solar PPA
The 15 to 20-year power purchase agreement is expected to provide around 2% of the electricity consumption of all SNCF passenger trains.
‘Ultra-mega’ 2 GW renewables project approved in India
The state cabinet has approved a 74:26 joint venture proposal by publicly-owned hydropower company THDC India and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency for the ambitious project.
