SunPower

The new 5 MW line in Silicon Valley will produce cells and modules under a new IBC technology from the company that makes the most powerful commercially available silicon solar products.

The high efficiency PV maker has decided not to find a replacement for fellow sponsor First Solar, and instead to get out of the yieldco business.

The U.S. manufacturer will provide its modules for 157 rooftop projects totaling 26.8 MW and three ground-mounted PV plants equaling 3.1 MW, that will all be located in France.

A pair of court rulings has shot down challenges by a range of solar manufacturers related to the details of 2014 import duties on solar products from China and Taiwan.

The high-efficiency solar manufacturer is still bleeding red ink, as it begins shipping its lower-cost P-Series modules and continues its restructuring.

French energy giant Total and its affiliate U.S. module manufacturer SunPower, in partnership with Japanese egg producer ISE Group have switched on a 27 MWp PV power plant in the city of Nanao on Japan’s Honshu Island.

The Taiwanese company completed the 9.87 MW installation — which consists of arrays on top of two of its liquid-crystal display factories — in late December.

The US module manufacturer will supply 130 MW of modules for 25 projects selected in France’s recent tender for PV projects larger in size than 250 kW. Most of the modules will be manufactured at the company’s factory in Toulouse, south-western France.

The supply deal with NextEra Energy Resources signals a radical shift in strategy for the struggling manufacturer and is the first major test of its novel module design.

The U.S. solar maker and two Chinese companies are planning to build out the massive factory in eastern China, making good on the promise to transition to the lower-cost P-Series.