Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

All three companies say the patent infringement claim is without merit, and LONGi has provided technical details as to why its PERC isn’t based on Hanwha Q-Cells’ patent.

Happy Hump Day and welcome to your Wednesday edition of the pv magazine USA morning brief. Today we’ll check out a GreenPeace co-founder comparing the Green New Deal to the End Times, ASU dominating the Solar Energy Technology Office awards, GRID Alternatives’ “Solar Spring Break” program and everything else interesting in the industry today.

The Korean/German solar manufacturer has filed patent infringement lawsuits against the three companies in the United States, and is seeking to bar them from importing solar products for the U.S. market. Hanwha Q Cells claims its three rivals have used its patented solar cell passivation technology to increase the performance of their products.

The company has rolled out its new A-Series modules as the first product using SunPower’s NGT solar cells, based on larger wafers and a streamlined manufacturing process. But will this be enough to get SunPower back to the black in its finances?

Hanwha Q Cells has begun shipping solar panels from its 1.7 GW factory near the Georgia-Tennessee border, as the second major U.S. module factory to announce production this week.

JinkoSolar has launched a new bifacial solar module with a clear backsheet manufactured by Dupont to compete with standard glass on glass bifacial solar modules, as well to break into new markets where bifacial might not have fit in.

JinkoSolar is ramping the third-largest module factory in the United States, as part of a resurgence in U.S. module manufacturing.

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.

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.

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.