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Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Chinese module prices to fall by 15% from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023, says CEA

Solar module prices will be pressured by rising industrial capacity this year, with capacities doubling in the ingot/wafer stages and potentially quadrupling for polysilicon by 2027, according to the latest PV pricing report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA).

Weekend read: A moral trilemma

US solar was disrupted in 2022, with module seizures delaying projects due to strict laws designed to stamp out alleged forced labor practices in sections of the Chinese PV industry. However, it remains to be seen whether seizures affected such alleged practices.

Feds back $15 billion fund to boost clean energy manufacturing

The Australian government’s plan to establish a $15 billion (USD 10 billion) national reconstruction fund to support domestic manufacturing in future industries and reduce the nation’s dependence on imports has become a reality with the investment vehicle rubber stamped by both houses of parliament.

German manufacturer achieves 80% overall efficiency with new PVT solar module

Sunmaxx says Fraunhofer ISE has confirmed the 80% efficiency of its new photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) module. It consists of 108 PERC half-cells in M10 format, with 400 W of electrical output and 1,200 W of thermal output.

Weekend read: As simple as IBC

The search for ever higher conversion efficiency has driven solar researchers to focus on back-contact cell approaches, and efforts to devise more cost-effective manufacturing are bringing technologies such as interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar into the mainstream, as Mark Hutchins reports.

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German outfit brings own solar panel brand to Australia

German startup 1Komma5 has started production on its own solar modules, which are expected to hit Australian shores “imminently,” Chris Williams, CEO of its APAC arm, told pv magazine Australia. The company has just signed a polysilicon contract with fellow German company Wacker, a step towards addressing issues around unethical labour and embedded emissions in solar’s supply chain.

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Reshoring of US solar manufacturing

The Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) latest white paper on solar and storage manufacturing includes an interactive map. It shows that momentum has started to build for a transformational expansion of domestic solar and storage manufacturing.

Weekend read: Get what you pay for

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has calculated the price premium that solar developers will swallow in return for the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) savings offered by the latest generation of high-efficiency PV panels.

Victorian battery manufacturer to ramp up growth plans after PPK buys in

Australian battery designer and manufacturer PowerPlus Energy will look to accelerate its growth plans after technology investment company PPK Group announced plans to acquire a large stake in the company.

Solmax unveils reflective membrane to increase power yield in bifacial PV projects

Canada-headquartered Solmax will seek to build its presence in the Australian utility scale solar sector having developed a reflective membrane which it claims can increase the energy yield of a bifacial PV project by between 5% and 20%, depending on the plant configuration.

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