Technology and R&D

It is not clear at this time if Tesla plans to apply Grohmann Engineering’s automation expertise to either the SolarCity PV module factory or its battery manufacturing in Nevada.

The Norwegian-based polysilicon maker posts third quarter revenue of $50.9 million and cites disruption of China trade spat with U.S., plus expiration of the Chinese FIT, as reasons for lowered margins.

Under the direction of Anubhav Jain of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, five DOE labs will work to accelerate the development and development of innovative materials for PV modules.

VDMA’s guide to technology trends in the PV industry expects rapid change in the cell and module space.

Panasonic will operate the Buffalo “gigafactory”, and sell modules to Tesla/SolarCity.

Despite omnipresent hype over the past two years, the Solar Roadways team tried to unveil its first pilot project in Idaho with disastrous results.

The two firms have signed a non-binding letter of intent to collaborate on the production of solar modules and cells at Tesla’s Buffalo facility, and to source Panasonic cells. The deal rests on completion of Tesla’s SolarCity acquisition.

This adds to the $14 million the state has supplied to incubators since 2009, assisting 146 companies.

Just over a year after Australian cleantech company Dyesol claimed to have achieved efficiency levels of 10 per cent in its perovskite solar cells, US researchers claim to have topped that, with a breakthrough that could also work to fast-track commercialisation of the technology.

The solar and polysilicon equipment maker hasn’t said what will become of its Merlin cell interconnection technology or its Hyperion ion implant technology.