China

On Friday, three Chinese government ministries issued a joint “2018 Solar PV Power Generation Notice.” Its impact has been hotly debated since, with two key conclusions: the largest market segment – utility-scale PV – will take a pounding and not come close to last year’s record installation figure of just under 34 GW; and the expanding distributed generation market segment, which rose 360% from 2016 to 2017, will also be severely impacted by a 10 GW cap on new projects.

New policies affecting all solar market segments in China are likely to lead to production overcapacity in the second half of 2018. The new regulations, announced June 1, will likely see the Chinese market decline from an expected 40-45 GW to 30-35 GW for the year, analysts report.

Tesla’s batteries may soon be Made in China. The announcement was made by Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga during a conference accompanying the company’s 2018 fiscal-year results last Friday.

The solar module manufacturer reports that Europe will likely replace the United States as its number one market, due to Trump administration duties. While Q1 revenues grew by around 2.5% year-on year, and net profit almost doubled from $17.6 million to $31 million, the outlook for 2018 shipments has been reduced by 400 MW to 5.6 GW to 5.8 GW.

Chinese module manufacturing heavyweight JinkoSolar has announced the achievement of a new world record efficiency for a p-type monocrystalline silicon cell, at 23.95%. The record has been confirmed in testing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Chinese company said its gross margins were impacted by lower ASPs and rising material costs, while the decline in net and operating profits was due to higher operating expenses. Shipments and sales, however, grew by 52.4% and 25.5%, respectively.

In reporting its FY 2017 financials, Yingli has again revealed that “substantial doubt exists as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” It is seeking to agree on a debt restructuring plan with creditors, and is asking them to refrain from initiating bankruptcy proceedings. Overall, it recorded a 2017 net loss of US$510 million and total liabilities of $3.2 billion. It has not issued guidance for this year.

Longi is progressing at breakneck speed, having announced yet another world record. This time, the Chinese manufacturer says its 120-cell half-cut monocrystalline PERC module has exceeded 360 W.

Two large Chinese ingot and wafer makers have announced bold plans to expand their capacities beyond anything seen to date. In the process they could transform the entire upstream solar manufacturing landscape.

The Chinese technology firm has inked an agreement with EPC provider Biosar for a solar farm in Queensland, estimated at around US$ 30 million – a significant deal for the company’s thriving solar PV division.