Leading Chinese module manufacturer Trina Solar has enjoyed a productive few months, with the company’s module shipments exceeding 65GW in 2023. However, with the global solar industry facing a downturn, and many manufacturers facing questions about the financial viability of their operations, the future of the industry as a whole is challenging.
The Pomerantz Law Firm has brought a class action lawsuit against Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies concerning whether “Maxeon and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.”
Europe imported around 33GW of solar PV modules from China in the first four months of 2024, representing 43% of total Chinese module exports, according to US energy analyst Clean Energy Associates (CEA).
Three Chinese solar manufacturers – LONGi, Tongwei, and Aiko Solar – have reported losses in the first half of the year due to increased competition.
According to the latest data from the Silicon Industry Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the lowest transaction price for mono dense material has dropped to RMB33,000/ton (US$4,535), a 43% decrease from the price at the beginning of 2024, setting a new low for the year.
New antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) tariffs in the US could result in increased solar cell and module costs “to a level that significantly restricts solar supply and installations in the US,” according to new analysis from Clean Energy Associates (CEA).
The Western Australian government has released the results of a first-of-its-kind project, which combined hydrogen and solar to create a microgrid.
The world will add 3.8TWac of new solar capacity by 2033, alongside 1.6TW of new wind capacity, as governments look to meet their decarbonisation goals.
On Wednesday (3 July), the Australian federal government introduced the new ‘Future Made in Australia Bill 2024’ to parliament to unlock private sector investment to bolster renewable energy technologies such as solar.
As the global push for sustainable energy solutions intensifies, the US is strategically positioning itself to reduce reliance on imported solar components and to build up its domestic clean energy manufacturing capabilities. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law in 2022, was a pivotal move in this direction.
Germany generated more power from renewable energy sources in the first half of 2024 than at any other time in its history, according to a report from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).
Innovations in wafer sophistication and advances in cell output voltage will be key developments in the upstream solar industry, if the world is to realise the potential of solar power.
