1366 Technologies and Hanwha Q Cells to open wafer factory in Malaysia
The U.S. wafer maker and the Korean module manufacturer expect to ramp the Malaysian factory no later than September. The fab is next to Hanwha’s existing cell and module facilities and 1366 Technologies plans to produce its Direct Wafers on a gigawatt scale for less than $0.20 per piece.
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.
pvMB 2/22/19: Walls are up at LG’s Alabama solar factory, utilities overspend by billions on T&D and more…
Good morning – it’s Friday! In today’s pvMB we will also bring you more regulatory capture in New Orleans, NREL’s new database for albedo, and a study that looks at the idea locations for EV chargers in Michigan.
First Solar is sitting pretty
The thin film PV maker reported solid year-end 2018 results, with future bookings extending out four years and the fourth of five Series 6 factories already online.
REC Silicon to suspend production at Washington State polysilicon factory
REC Silicon has revealed plans to halt operations at its Moses Lake facility in 17 days’ time. The company says it has taken the decision to maintain liquidity for its semiconductor business with American workers set to pay the price for President Trump’s trade war with China.
SunPower officially producing P-Series at former SolarWorld factory in Oregon
The largest shingled solar cell production facility in the Western Hemisphere at 220 MW, marking the first of a group of massive factories expected to go on-line this year.
On the anniversary of the Section 201 tariffs, Trump talks trade
There are indications that the Trump Administration may be reaching a deal with Chinese authorities, but the trade war goes on.
On the floor in picture form at Solar Power Northeast
While the Super Bowl victory parade rolled by, solar energy professionals shook hands, shared stories, made deals and visited more than 80 industry exhibitions on the floor in Boston, Massachusetts.
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.
Do these solar cells make me look fat?
NREL researchers explore power-to-weight ratios in thin film solar pv products, looking at premium price ($1.25-$100/W) gigawatt scale niches not directly competing with crystalline silicon solar modules.
