Max Hall
REC Silicon can’t say when polysilicon lines will start up again
The Norwegian polysilicon supplier – which has most of its manufacturing operations on U.S. soil – cannot give any estimate on when its production of polysilicon for solar will return, and has been left entirely dependent on the semiconductor products made by its Montana facility.
Solar, storage and wind can keep us on track as far as 2030
This year’s New Energy Outlook report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts renewables can keep us on track for less than two degrees of global heating for the next decade. But after that, other technologies will have to do their bit.
Fate of Washington polysilicon plant hinges on Trump, Jinping meeting
REC Silicon has delayed full shutdown of its Moses Lake polysilicon operation until mid July as President Trump and his Chinese counterpart are scheduled to hold talks in Osaka in two weeks’ time.
Plug-in hybrid cars have as much longevity as Betamax and MiniDiscs – stick to pure electric
A report on the prospects for a mooted $2.6tn electric vehicle market over the next decade says PHEVs – part electric, part gas-guzzling – are already losing market share rapidly to pure electric rivals, and will be extinct by 2030.
Rise of bifacial lifts profits for the world’s tracker companies
Things are hotting up in the tracker world as the desire to squeeze down the price per Watt of solar power intensifies. And the rise of the trackers is attracting some well-known businesses to buy their way into the field.
Tesla borrows $520m from China for Shanghai Gigafactory
The electric carmaker has signed 12-month credit agreements with three of China’s “Big Four” lenders as well as the development bank for Shanghai as it aims to get its lower-priced Model 3s rolling off the production line by the end of the year.
Trump trade announcement offers hope of breakthrough
The president last night announced he is hoping to arrange a meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to bring an end to the long-running trade stand-off between the two nations, provided further progress can be made in negotiations.
Canadian Solar revises up estimates while giving PG&E update
The Chinese-Canadian manufacturer and developer says that current contracts with PG&E are in doubt, but expresses more confidence about projects due to be interconnected.
Corporate clean energy smashes records
Companies in the United States accounted for more than 60% of the clean energy deals signed by corporations worldwide last year, according to BloombergNEF. A proposed renewable portfolio standard for Chinese business, though, could turn the picture upside down in a year’s time.
Solar will rebound this year with more than 100 GW of new capacity
Wood Mackenzie’s number-crunchers are the latest analysts queueing up to predict a bumper year ahead for PV, with falling prices, rising efficiency rates and booming markets outside China all on the cards. And it could be a make-or-break year for mega-projects according to Wood Mac.
