‘The major solar players will shift from PERC to TOPCon’
US analyst Clean Energy Associates made some notable predictions in its Q4 survey of the world solar manufacturing market, including echoing predictions made elsewhere that the new polysilicon production capacity coming online now will help arrest the spike in solar panel prices.
State Grid of China unveils plans for 100GW battery fleet
China’s largest state-owned grid operator and power utility plans to deploy the world’s biggest battery fleet and almost quadruple its pumped hydro storage by 2030, thus supporting the nation’s switch to renewable energy sources.
Polysilicon price reaches $39.3/kg — the highest since 2011
The price of polysilicon last week reached its highest level since 2011 and, according to Chinese module manufacturer JinkoSolar, there are no visible signs that it could drop this year, as predicted by several analysts.
Missing: Five to ten gigawatts of utility scale solar in 2022
ROTH Capital Partners sees a possibility of 5-10GW of utility-scale solar power facility developers finding it challenging to procure – cost effective or otherwise – solar panels for their projects, with some pushing off construction until Tier 1 products are available for purchase.
Solar cells used for high-speed underwater wireless data transmission
Breaking research reveals solar cells can be used as lens-free, high-speed optical detectors in underwater environments. The research team said the devices may offer a lower-cost alternative to lensed devices.
Another anti-circumvention case filed against Southeast Asian countries, said ROTH
Auxin Solar filed the anti-circumvention petition against Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia, said an industry note from Philip Shen, managing director at ROTH Capital Partners.
Fraunhofer ISE reaches legal settlements with seven inverter manufacturers who infringed its patent
In 2002, the Fraunhofer ISE patented the HERIC circuit for highly efficient inverters. Since then, the institute says, it has recorded out-of-court settlements in seven patent infringement lawsuits against companies from China, Taiwan and Germany.
Global Infrastructure Partners invest $500 million in renewable power producer BrightNight LLC
Solas Energy Consulting acted as key technical advisor to GIP. The investment includes preferred equity and a letter of credit facility.
Industry heavyweights look to solid-state battery cells, resources, and recycling
Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with ProLogium to integrate solid-state battery technology into a range of vehicles; Panasonic and Toyota launched an industrial-academic collaborative research program concerned with battery resources and recycling; and LG Energy Solution plans to spend $2.1 billion with GM to build another EV battery plant in the US.
Department of Justice appeals ITC’s Section 201 ruling
The solar industry reacts to appeal after the ITC had reversed a Trump administration move to strengthen Section 201 safeguard duties on certain solar products.
