Akasol to build new battery factory near Detroit
The German battery maker will produce batteries for electric trucks and buses at the new facility, which is expected to employ 200 workers and produce 400 megawatt-hours of batteries annually.
Jinko and REC petition for review of Hanwha patent
The manufacturers are pushing back on the basis for the suit that their Korean/German rival has launched, arguing that there is evidence the innovations they refer to were either not new or were obvious steps forward.
LONGi, JinkoSolar, REC Group respond to Hanwha Q-Cells IP suit
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.
Hanwha Q-Cells sues to keep Jinko, Longi and REC Group out of the U.S. market
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.
Siemens wants to take over Kaco
After announcing its entry into residential storage a week ago, the Munich-based multinational has now unveiled a plan to acquire inverter manufacturer Kaco. Siemens has not provided details about the value of the transaction.
Shell moves to acquire Sonnen
In May, oil giant Shell invested in battery maker sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business.
Researchers hit new organic PV record
A team of scientists at Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg has set an efficiency record of 12.25% for a non-fullerene based organic solar cell.
Beyond 40% – Fraunhofer ISE hits new module efficiency record
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (ISE) has set a new world record for PV module efficiency. Scientists at the institute achieved 41.4% efficiency for a solar module using both tandem cell and high-concentration PV technology.
SMA, BYD charge into the US market
The German inverter maker has joined forces with the Chinese battery maker after losing U.S. market share to SolarEdge. This follows BYD linking up with Kostal to optimize communication interfaces between inverters and storage applications.
PJM subsidiary to test blockchain for trading RECs
The platform will be designed to enable tracking and peer-to-peer trading of certificates at the kilowatt-hour scale, at low cost and with improved ease of use.
