Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

According to VDMA, a German engineering association, there are now more orders coming in for German production equipment from Europe than from China. Nevertheless, shipments to Asia remain dominant.

Clean Energy Associates said in a new report that it expects polysilicon production capacity to exceed PV installations next year.

University of New South Wales researchers have teamed up with Tindo Solar to develop a line of semi-transparent modules, specialised for agrivoltaic cropping, which will use nanoparticles tuned to capture different parts of the light spectrum. “There is evidence you don’t need the full spectrum and some plants will work even better if you provide them with only part of the spectrum,” project lead and UNSW Associate Professor Ziv Hameiri tells pv magazine Australia. Crucially, he says, the project will also open a line between farmers, solar researchers and industry, creating the potential for mutual benefits.

World-beating Australian solar technology company SunDrive has completed a new $21 million (USD 13 million) funding round which will help commercialise its revolutionary solar cell technology that replaces silver with copper to improve solar panel efficiency and reduce costs.

The Western Australia government is partnering with United Kingdom-based electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power and Germany’s Linde Engineering in a $450,000 (USD 278,106) study to develop a business case for the manufacturing of renewable hydrogen electrolysers within the state.

Australian minerals explorer Allup Silica aims to target the booming solar panel industry after independent tests confirmed the presence of premium silica sands – a key component of high-end glass manufacturing – at its Sparkler project in Western Australia.

United States-based engineering firm FTC Solar has won the contract to supply its Voyager solar tracker technology for the 128 MW Cunderdin hybrid solar PV and battery energy storage project being developed in Western Australia.

Indian solar manufacturer NeoSol has unveiled its Black Pearls series of mono PERC modules. The power outputs range from 535 W to 550 W, with power conversion efficiency ratings between 20.7% and 21.33%.

Solar PV module manufacturer REC Group’s “most innovative panel to date” will make its Australian debut at the All-Energy Australia exhibition and conference in Melbourne later this month.

The Queensland government is looking to jumpstart a local renewable energy equipment manufacturing sector, today calling on electrical manufacturing businesses to register their interest in supplying the thousands of batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, and kilometres of transmission lines the state says it will need to enact its $62 billion energy transformation plan.