Euro solar industry on course to support more than 500,000 jobs this year
Poland was the EU’s biggest solar jobs market last year, thanks to a national rooftop incentive program, but Germany’s push to repatriate solar manufacturing will help the bloc’s PV powerhouse back to the number one slot in three years’ time, according to SolarPower Europe.
Lack of European solar manufacturing could cripple RePower EU bid
Wood Mackenzie says Europe would need to dramatically raise its PV production capability to ensure the 420 GW-plus of new solar it wants this decade does not arrive in the form of Asian panels.
Wacker to expand silicon metal production in Norway
Polysilicon manufacturer Wacker has launched a feasibility study for its expansion plans in Norway. It said its production capacity in the village of Holla could increase by 50% by 2025.
Wacker falls to fourth in global polysilicon ranking
The German company’s decision to cede market share to Chinese companies producing the material for solar panels, in order to focus on semiconductor-ready, electronic grade product, has seen it slip behind its rivals in terms of production scale.
SolarPower Europe highlights Polish rooftop incentive as case study for the effectiveness of policy support
The Euro trade body has promised to monitor the developing solar jobs market annually from now on, and pointed to Poland’s position at the top of the tree of EU member states for PV jobs last year as evidence the technology can still benefit from legislative backing.
Wacker signs polysilicon supply deal with Jinko
The German company will sell 70,000 tons of its product to the module maker over the course of a five-year contract.
Europe had just 650 MW of solar cell manufacturing capacity at the end of 2020
The latest update to the Photovoltaics Report produced by research organization the Fraunhofer ISE has offered up the usual slew of interesting stats on the state of solar across the continent.
Wacker reports slight revenue growth for polysilicon business
The German polysilicon manufacturer reported higher sales volumes and a better product mix for its polysilicon segment.
China’s cheap electricity crowds out foreign polysilicon
Imports from South Korea and the U.S. dwindled, year-on-year, ensuring Germany’s Wacker and the Malysian unit of Korean company OCI will supply the bulk of the world’s non-Chinese solar polysilicon this year.
Chinese polysilicon makers driving industry’s second great consolidation
The 275,000 metric tons of annual polysilicon production facilities pushed out of the industry by the expansion of big Chinese producers is more than double the capacity lost in the last great poly market shake-out, between 2010 and 2013.
