500 W-plus panel race intensifies with JA Solar’s new module and Risen’s first shipment
Chinese manufacturer JA Solar has announced a new 525 W+ panel and said the product will be available from the second half. Domestic rival Risen has shipped the first batch of its high-powered modules and intends to stick to pre-Covid-19 plans to ramp up production.
Lithium-ion storage is here to stay with no ‘post Li-ion’ era in sight
A German-Israeli research group has gathered to discuss which storage technologies may outperform lithium-ion batteries in the future. They concluded that there is no such a thing as a “post Li‐ion” era in sight. They recommended a “side‐by‐side” approach for multiple technologies in different applications, as well as the hybridization of technologies.
Form Energy claims its aqueous air battery provides 150-hour duration storage
The holy grail of energy storage has always been low-cost and long-duration. Form Energy intends on deploying a 1 MW/150 MWh system with a Minnesota utility before 2023, an unprecedented energy storage duration if successful.
SunPower had a ‘solid’ Q1, finds hope for May and June after a difficult April
It’s solar earnings season and there’s a clear, non-surprising theme: The first quarter was strong and largely unimpacted by the pandemic, but the second quarter and 2020 as a whole is uncertain.
First Solar earnings: strong Q1 and an uncertain 2020 guidance — like most every solar firm
“Despite the uncertain economic environment, demand for our Series 6 product remains strong, as evidenced by the 1.1 GWDC of net-bookings since our prior earnings call.”
SolarEdge reports record revenue, yet Covid looms over residential PV for the next two quarters
Even though the U.S. market is showing some signs of stabilizing, the decline in installation rates in April alone was 33%.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Financials, a new GW-scale factory, and big hydrogen
Longi and Sungrow both announced solid financial results last week. Module maker China Solar delayed the resumption of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and polysilicon producer GCL-Poly unveiled plans to raise up to $16.8 million by issuing shares. Coal miner Baofeng Energy, meanwhile, announced the construction of what it claims will be the world’s largest PV-powered hydrogen plant, and Seraphim and Lu’An Solar revealed that they will open a 5 GW PV panel factory in China’s Jiangsu province.
Enphase PV microinverters shine in Q1, share price is up 15%
Enphase Energy’s Q1 revenue exceeded expectations as the company set an all-time gross margin record and announced plans for a new manufacturing location. Enphase stock is up 15%
SunPower accesses $1 billion in residential solar and storage loan capital from Tech CU
Despite the pandemic, capital is still pouring into solar.
Trump’s mysterious cybersecurity order bans bulk-generation gear from ‘adversaries’
Although it doesn’t seem to impact solar directly, energy storage might be threatened. “The order leaves more questions than it answers,” according to Norton Rose Fulbright. What is motivating the administration? China? Why now?
