Solar Glass

China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), a Chinese state-owned nuclear producer, has revealed plans to procure 1 GW of inverters, while Mubon High-Tech said it may scrap its plans to build a 5 GW heterojunction solar cell factory in China’s Anhui province.

Solarcycle has invested $344 million in a solar manufacturing facility in Polk County, Georgia. The factory has been designed to use recycled materials from retired solar panels to produce new solar glass, positioning Solarcycle as one of the first manufacturers of specialized glass for crystalline-silicon PV in the US market.

Australia’s ClearVue Technologies has secured an order to provide its clear solar glass technology for a AUD 12 million ($8.0 million), six-floor building in Melbourne.

China’s solar industry rebounded in 2023 after years of pandemic-related sluggishness. As the year draws to a close, pv magazine looks back at key highlights of 2023 and considers the prospects for 2024.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says the nation deployed 33 GW of new residential PV capacity between January and September, bringing cumulative installations to 105 GW, while Flat Glass says it will invest $290 million in new glass factories in Indonesia.

Rystad Energy believes China could be on track for another record year in 2023, with expectations for more than 150 GW of new PV capacity. The Norwegian consultancy says the country could also potentially install 165 GW in 2024 and 170 GW in 2025.

Irico says it has posted revenue of CNY 1.28 billion ($176.65 million) for the first half of the year, while Daqo has announced a share repurchase program.

Sineng Electric says it will build a new factory in China’s Jiangsu province, while Huasun says it has commissioned 3 GW of bifacial heterojunction cell production capacity in Anhui province.

China Three Gorges Group has announced its latest PV module procurement results, while GCL-Si has revealed plans to raise CNY 5.8 billion ($812.9 million) via a private placement to finance its expansion.

Large capacity addition in solar modules by 15-20 players is likely to drive domestic solar glass demand, say CRISIL analysts in an interview with pv magazine. New players have expressed interest to set up solar glass manufacturing in India, however, import duty removal last year on solar tempered glass has put them in a wait-and-see mode.