President Trump

To have any hope of restricting global heating to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the renewables success story which saw 108 GW of solar deployed last year needs to be cranked up to the next level – and fast.

The Chinese manufacturer has embarked upon an upgrade of 1.5 GW of its module production lines which is set to be completed this year. Previously used to get around trade restrictions applied by the EU, the Thai facility will now produce output for the U.S. market.

The Chinese thin film giant has transformed itself into a solar manufacturing equipment supplier and is set to expand a strategy which sees affiliates help fund industrial parks which then generate orders for its thin film production lines.

Hanwha Q Cells has begun shipping solar panels from its 1.7 GW factory near the Georgia-Tennessee border. The huge facility is the second major U.S. module factory to announce production this week.

The Chinese manufacturer is ramping the third-largest module factory in the United States, as part of a resurgence in U.S. module manufacturing.

The rise of renewables may have hogged the headlines but there is, nevertheless, a reassuring underlying message to investors with their money in fossil fuels. However there may be hope in meeting the Paris Agreement goals, if only we could encourage a few more trade wars…

Although the investment bank says large manufacturers will suffer from continuing panel price falls, developers will be able to take advantage and experts predict a resurgence in the global market next year.

The new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives will still need to deal with a Republican Senate and president, and is unlikely to take bold action.