manufacturing

Trinasolar has been awarded the bankability certificate for its Vertex n-type TOPCon bifacial PV modules by TÜV Rheinland, an independent third-party agency for testing, inspection and certification.

LONGi reported a net loss of 1.261 billion CNY (€170 million) in Q3 of this year. To return to profitability, the Chinese manufacturer is increasingly relying on high efficiency PV modules with back contact technology.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its annual Energy Technology Perspectives report, for the first time introducing combined analysis on the interplay between energy, industrial and trade policies. SolarPower Europe contributed to the report.

FuturaSun’s FENICE project, aimed at building a high-efficiency photovoltaic module plant in Italy, has passed the selection process by CINEA, securing a grant from the Innovation Fund—one of the European Commission’s key initiatives to drive technological innovation and the green transition.

The market for second-life solar modules is growing rapidly: in addition to use in smaller stand-alone systems and as balcony power plants, entire solar parks can also be equipped with used modules. After all, 70 per cent of old modules are immediately usable.

The European PV market showed renewed vigor in September, as the PV Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) saw a notable uptick to 71, up from 68 in August. This indicates a clear resurgence in demand despite ongoing price declines in the solar component market. Solar panel prices continued their downward trajectory across nearly all categories, with significant drops observed in both monofacial and bifacial segments.

With solar leading their rapid deployment, renewables are on course to meet almost half of global electricity demand by the end of this decade, a new report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.

Sodium-ion batteries have several advantages over conventional batteries. They contain no critical raw materials such as lithium or cobalt - and could make stationary energy storage and electromobility much more cost-effective. There is still a lack of the necessary energy storage materials for production.

LONGi has published its financial report for the first half of 2024. The integrated Chinese module manufacturer generated revenues of the equivalent of 5.03 billion euros in the period. One challenge, however, is the low PV manufacturing capacity utilization rate of less than 50 percent. Growth with the new HPBC 2.0 back-contact series is expected in 2025.

Peter Thiele, President Sharp Energy Solutions Europe, about historical milestones, the development of photovoltaic technology and future challenges and opportunities in the solar industry.

Storage systems for commercial and utility use are the hotspot of the energy transition. They have to be universal geniuses, to be safe and they have to be installed very easily. The latest trends we now learn from Franz-Josef Feilmeier, founder and CEO of Fenecon.

Ahead of the formation of the European Commission the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) calls to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to position the EU PV manufacturing among the priorities for the new mandate of the European Commission.

Yesterday the European Commission published the long-awaited Report on the Future of EU Competitiveness, authored by Mario Draghi, the former President of the European Central Bank. Praise comes from SolarPower Europe.

The summer of 2024 has not led to an increase in demand for solar panels. Due to the low prices, the financial problems continue, according to Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar. "Consumer interest and market are actually temporarily 'on pause', but a company cannot be on pause for a year. Fortunately, the C&I market and batteries still offer some hope."

Trinasolar reports revenues of $6 billion and profits of $74 million in half-yearly financial result in 2024 – with strong PV module sales and new manufacturing facilities outside of China.

Due to an ever-expanding supply, without increasing demand, a gigantic overcapacity in the solar energy sector has rapidly arisen in the past year. The rapidly dropped prices have subsequently caused financial problems throughout the supply chain. "There's no one taking advantage of this at all”, says Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar. To put a stop to the current situation, the Chinese government wants to take measures.

Sungrow recently unveiled its financial results for the first half of 2024. The company achieved growth in both revenue and net profit, especially in the PV field.

Trina Storage, a provider of integrated energy storage solutions, has once again been recognised as a Tier 1 energy storage supplier by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BloombergNEF).

LONGi has made significant optimizations at its Jiaxing Lighthouse Factory, achieving a 43% increase in product quality, an 84% reduction in production and delivery cycles and a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit.

Trinasolar has obtained Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Norway and EPD International certification for its Vertex S+ rooftop module series. Both validations were carried out by TÜV Rheinland.

The technology group Bosch is buying Johnson Controls' global business for heating and air conditioning appliances for residential and small commercial buildings. At 7.4 billion euros, this is the largest transaction in the company's history.

A coalition of European associations, among them SolarPower Europe and Eurelectric calls to recognise PPAs for reducing the carbon footprint of electricity used in battery manufacturing.

Covestro and bp have signed a ten-year PPA for electricity from a solar park in Spain. The agreement increases the share of renewable energy in Covestro's total electricity consumption in Spain from less than 10 percent to around 30 percent.

The United States continues to face  challenges meeting the increased demand for critical minerals almost two years after the historic Inflation Reduction Act, a S&P Global study finds.

The EU Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) enters into force tomorrow (29th June) across all 27 EU Member States. This enables the Member States to apply the NZIA provisions in public procurements, auctions, and other forms of public intervention.