solar modules

US-based First Solar recorded $794 million of revenue in the first quarter, beating consensus estimates by about 10%.

The U.S.-based PV system provider for infrastructure and industrial equipment without grid access has launched a battery health monitoring software module for its flagship Core Solar Power Systems product line.

China’s Kaisheng New Energy Technology has agreed to produce a new line of thin-film solar panels for rooftops under an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Sweden’s Midsummer. The modules will be exclusive to the European rooftop market through Midsummer.

German certification body TÜV Rheinland has announced the certification of the first organic photovoltaic (OPV) product – an organic PV foil from Germany’s Heliatek – based on the IEC 61215 standard.

A German team developed models to illustrate water-saving potential in PERC silicon solar cell manufacturing based on a circular approach and commercially available technology. In the case of a 5 GW fab, water savings of up to 79% and wastewater discharge reductions up to 84% could be achieved, a “significant” improvement compared to a reference scenario.

SJVN is now accepting bids to develop 1.2 GW of solar projects, connected to India’s interstate transmission system, anywhere in the country. Bidding closes on June 17.

Microsoft has signed on for 10.5 GW of renewable energy with Brookfield Renewable Partners. The projects might cost more than $11.5 billion to build, according to BloombergNEF.

Indian manufacturer Statcon Energiaa has introduced a single-phase grid-tie solar inverter intended for application in residential and small commercial buildings.

Researchers in Spain has found that combining PV power generation with fuel cells and battery storage may help homes considerably reduce their levelized cost of energy. Their simulation reportedly demonstrated homes may also become completely self-sufficient.

Luxembourg-based Ardagh Group is installing solar PV at several of its packaging manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom and Europe. The latest is a 1.75 MW rooftop system installed at a glass packaging facility in Irvine, Scotland.