Weekend Read: Small change, big effect
Starting this year, ground-mounted solar modules in Germany can be replaced before the end of their service life, unlocking gigawatt-scale potential for new generation capacity without lengthy permitting processes or the need for new sites. Opinions differ as to what should happen with the decommissioned but still functioning modules, as pv magazine Deutschland’s Sandra Enkhardt reports.
First Solar signs multi-year deals for 5.4 GW of modules
Lightsource bp and bp placed orders for around 4.4 GW of modules, with options for an additional 1 GW.
First Solar claims lowest module degradation rate in the industry
The US cadmium telluride thin-film module maker said its Series 6 CuRe panels are able to retain 92% of its performance at the end of the 30-year warranty. The improved stability of the product was achieved by eliminating copper and placing Group V elements such as antimony or arsenic onto the tellurium crystal sites.
First Solar signals interest in US tellurium supplies for solar panel production
Rio Tinto plans to spend nearly $3 million on a facility in Utah to recover tellurium, a critical mineral used in solar panels.
Nice Solar Energy files for insolvency under self-administration
The CIGS thin-film specialist employs 160 people in Germany. Business operations will continue with no disruption for the time being.
First Solar brings modules to distributed generation market
The U.S. utility-scale PV pioneer is going small. After decades of avoiding distributed generation, it is now offering its Series 6 modules for ‘projects and customers of all shapes and sizes.’
Solar Frontier changes ownership
The CIS thin film solar module maker was taken over, together with its parent company Japan’s oil and gas group, Showa Shell Sekiyu, by Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu.
