Hanwha Qcells shuts down 3.5 GW solar factory in South Korea
Hanwha Qcells has closed its 3.5 GW solar factory in South Korea as part of plans to optimise its PV module production capabilities amid a stagnant domestic solar market.
Weekend read: the fruitful search for other thin films
First Solar and its cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology dominate thin-film solar in the mainstream market. Valerie Thompson looks at the US-based business and the future of thin-film PV technology.
New solar installations to hit 413 GW this year, says BloombergNEF
BloombergNEF says historically low module prices will drive the global solar industry to record installations in 2023.
With China PV modules reaching record low prices, is there a chance for local PV manufacturing elsewhere?
From the International Solar Energy Society’s perspective, and the vision of a world with 100% renewable energy for everyone used wisely and efficiently, PV module production should not become an oligopoly and should not be concentrated in one corner of the world.
Solar module prices may reach USD 0.10/W by end 2024
Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, speaks to pv magazine about the current steep trajectory of solar module prices. He estimates that PV panels prices will end up dropping by 40% this year and predicts the closure of old technology and sub-scale solar manufacturing facilities, both in China and globally.
PERC inventor from UNSW discusses the future of the technology
University of New South Wales academic Aihua Wang is the first female recipient of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth Prize (QEPrize) for Engineering, after sharing the 2023 award with Andrew Blakers, Martin Green, and her husband Jianhua Zhao for their work developing the passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cell. pv magazine caught up with her to ask about the achievement.
Enphase introduces commercial-scale microinverter
Enphase’s new IQ8-3P solar microinverter offers peak power output of up to 480 W.
China module prices hit new record lows, operating rates estimated around 60%
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
Fortescue continues US expansion with new clean energy manufacturing plant
Australian mining and green energy major Fortescue has revealed plans to establish a new clean energy technology manufacturing plant in the United States as it looks to take advantage of America’s $565 billion (USD 369 billion) Inflation Reduction Act.
Weekend read: the overproduction conundrum
Manufacturing capacity has been ramping up so quickly that even impressive installation growth cannot keep pace. Molly Morgan, senior research analyst at UK-based research firm Exawatt, explores the relationship between PV supply and demand and assesses the likelihood of overproduction.
