Manufacturing

GoodWe will initially sell its new 375 W building-integrated PV (BIPV) modules in Australia and Europe. They measure 2,319 mm × 777 mm × 4 mm and weigh 11 kg.

With calls for a revival in European PV manufacturing becoming more urgent, the Environmental, Social, and Governance credentials of its PV producers are being touted as a way in which manufacturing can be supported or even protected. The case for the ESG credentials of European manufacturing was advanced by multiple speakers at the 2023 SolarPower Summit this week in Brussels.

TrendForce says polysilicon will be 3.2% cheaper in March than in February. This will lead to lower wafer, cell and module prices and will effectively spur installation demand.

Australian resources developer Vecco Group has secured state government backing to build a $26 million (USD 17 million) vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in the north Queensland city of Townsville with production set to be used in grid-scale vanadium flow battery projects.

From polysilicon to panels through recycling, how much domestic capacity does the US have?

Hydrogen truck maker Hyzon has launched what is being hailed as Australia’s first locally designed and built hydrogen-powered truck at its regional headquarters in Melbourne. The 27-tonne truck is hitting Australian roads in a series of commercial trials this year, including as part of a longterm partnership with RACV, which has ordered three tow trucks.

Executives from Gentari, the clean energy subsidiary of Malaysia’s state-owned oil company Petronas, and Japan’s biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel, are eying Australia for future investments in renewables projects and green-steel manufacturing.

Australian mining company Australian Rare Earths is moving forward with plans to apply for a licence to mine rare earths in South Australia’s southeast as part of its flagship Koppamurra project.

The Queensland government will acquire the $5 billion (USD 3.37 billion) CopperString transmission line project which is set to unlock 6 GW of renewable energy resources and connect Queensland’s North West Minerals Province to Australia’s national grid. The shovel-ready project, many years in the making, is hailed as the biggest expansion to Australia’s energy grid in decades.

BayWa AG is strategically realigning BayWa re so it can sell its solar trade business. In the future, the subsidiary will focus on international projects as an independent power producer (IPP).