Max Hall
King of the hill? McKinsey says renewables will be cheaper than fossil plants by 2030
The study cites the cost competitiveness of renewables-powered green hydrogen by 2030 as a big game changer for the energy transition.
Norway’s Statkraft to buy UK’s Solarcentury in latest solar-hydropower blend
The Norwegian hydropower business wants to pay $152 milllion for the London-based clean energy developer which claims to have brought to life 1.2 GWp of project capacity in seven countries since 2013.
REC Silicon could restart poly production at Moses Lake
The Norwegian polysilicon maker has been been frozen out of the Chinese solar market by political tensions between Beijing and the U.S. and mothballed its Washington State production line last year. However, two recent business agreements could change all that.
Vietnam opens 450 MW solar plant
Ho Chi Minh City-based construction company Trungnam Group said its army of laborers took just 45 days to perform site clearance for a project which took shape within 102 days.
Off-grid solar funding concentrated in just three companies
With a previous 50-50 split between equity and debt investment funding for the off-grid market shifting to 84% debt, and commentators stating most of this year’s backing was agreed before the onset of Covid-19, fears are mounting about the prospects for the sector.
Northvolt raises $600 million for lithium battery gigafactory from VW and Spotify cofounder
The European battery manufacturer has raised the funds with a private shares placement which included the co-founder and CEO of music streaming service Spotify.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 1 GW of distributed solar came online in August
More than 1 GW of subsidized small solar arrays were installed in China last month alone and manufacturer Suntech has announced the start of operations at its 500 MW Indonesian cell and module fab.
Breaking: Explosions at GCL polysilicon fab have reportedly taken down 10% of global production capacity
California-based investment banking group Roth Capital Partners has reported four flash explosions on Sunday and a fifth yesterday “working their way through the GCL facility across multiple systems in a chain-reaction-like sequence.”
Analyst expects ‘unprecedented’ consolidation of Chinese solar industry
Private PV manufacturers and project developers alike are set to be squeezed out by the state in the world’s biggest solar market, according to Frank Haugwitz, who has compiled a wide-ranging report as preparations for the next five-year plan gather pace.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 3.95 GW of new PV in Q1, new 500 W-plus modules, a panel with 23.2% efficiency
China’s cumulative installed PV capacity topped 208 GW at the end of March, thanks to 3.95 GW of new projects completed in the first quarter. JinkoSolar and Longi both joined the 500 W-plus module race, with their new panels offering 580 W and 530 W of output, respectively. Ginlong, meanwhile, has revealed plans to raise funds to increase its annual inverter production capacity to 20 GW, and Xi’An Solar has claimed a 23.2% efficiency rate for its N-type TOPCon modules in mass production.
