Solar panel manufacturers First Solar, Hanwha Q Cells, Meyer Burger, Mission Solar, REC Silicon, Convalt, and Swift Solar, grouped under the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMTC), have filed a new complaint by the Wiley Rein law firm with the U.S. Department of Commerce alleging increased solar panel imports from Vietnam and Thailand as a result of the Alliance’s prior antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) legal filings.

The AASMTC, citing “critical circumstances,” has filed for retroactive tariffs on all solar panels imported since their filing in April.

The filing states that, due to the April AD/CVD actions, “several China-based companies operating in Thailand and Vietnam appear to have actively accelerated their U.S. solar exports, likely to evade impending duties.” The filing suggests that solar module imports from Vietnam have increased by 17%, while those from Thailand have grown by nearly 40%. In total, the increase relative to the prior months was about 2.6 GW of module capacity.

At the beginning of 2024, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and other groups suggested that the U.S. might install 53 GWdc of solar in the upcoming year. If realized, this would represent a 32% increase over the 40 GW of solar deployed in 2023.

Roth MKM, a solar industry analyst, provided insights on the complexities of the situation with an industry lawyer:

The data Wiley is using is not accurate, as it includes product subject to Solar I (i.e., the China case, because of circumvention). So, we have to wait to see what the accurate data says. And, even if DOC ultimately goes affirmative, the ITC also has to reach an affirmative finding, and the ITC rarely finds critical circumstances. So, this will cause (is already causing) havoc in the industry, but will likely turn out to be a flash in the pan.

In 2022, the EIA reported that the threat of AD/CVD tariffs had prompted delays or the cancellation of around 20% of utility-scale solar generation capacity. Solar industry analyst Roth MKM has suggested that solar developers are currently slowing project deployments due to the AD/CVD tariff risks associated with solar module procurement, pushing 2024 installations into 2025.

If the Department of Commerce were to implement the tariffs suggested by the group, it would lead to the United States paying three times the international price for solar panels. ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy) president and Chief Executive Officer Ray Long said a finding of AD/CVD violation “could unintentionally cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry to other countries.”

Last week, the Biden administration maintained a 14.5% tariff on imported solar cells and increased the volume of cells allowed from 5 GW to 12.5 GW to keep up with growth in solar module manufacturing facilities.

A look at IRA successes and failures David Burton, attorney with Norton Rose Fulbright and specialist in energy tax law, looks at tax credit transfer, domestic content, energy communities, prevailing wage and more.

Jimmy Carter, champion of solar energy At the age of 92, President Carter’s dedication to solar energy came full circle when his family decided to convert 10 acres of their peanut farm into a 1.3 MW solar farm.

Making perovskite solar PV circular from the start Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers used a circular economy framework to determine how to scale, deploy, and design metal halide perovskite solar panels to be easily recyclable in the future.

Heliene to procure U.S.-made solar wafers from NorSun The NorSun wafers will be supplied from the company’s planned 5 GW wafer factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

NorSun, a solar wafer manufacturer signed a multi-year contract with Heliene, a solar module maker. The exact amount of wafers was not specified, but Heliene reported that the supply will meet its annual requirement of silicon wafers starting in 2026.

Heliene has been manufacturing solar modules in Ontario, Canada since 2010 and in Mountain Iron, Minnesota since 2018. Last year the company announced an investment of an additional $10 million to expand its manufacturing and assembly line at its Minnesota facility.

Minnesota Line One was first installed in 2018 at 150 MW and has now doubled in capacity to 300 MW with the recent investment. Line One is situated contiguously to a second 500MW line installed in 2022. The company reports that the upgrades will improve the efficiency of the line.

The NorSun wafers will be supplied from the company’s planned 5 GW wafer factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In June NorSun announced plans to invest $620 million the new silicon ingot and solar wafer manufacturing facility on a 60-acre greenfield site in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Production at the new NorSun plant is expected to begin in 2026, bringing much-needed U.S.-made silicon ingots and wafers to the supply chain, as well as 320 jobs to the Tulsa area. NorSun reports that production can be expanded up to 10 GW.

Heliene, will take delivery of the wafer at its cell factory to be built in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota metro area.

“NorSun and Heliene are both dedicated to developing low carbon, domestically produced solutions based on sustainable value chains free of forced labor,” said Erik Løkke-Øwre, CEO of NorSun. “In the months leading up to final decisions at the end of 2024 it is now important that further policy measures are taken to regulate the US market to make sure the IRA program can take full effect”

Norsun, founded in Norway in 2007, specializes in the production of monocrystalline ingots and wafers for ultra-high efficiency solar cells. Its U.S. expansion was facilitated by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

Tariffs on solar cells remain, volume increased The Biden administration issued a proclamation stating that the tariff rate quota of 14.25% on solar cells will remain but volume increases from 5 GW to 12.5 GW.

Agrivoltaics for corn Researchers have created a novel model that can help developers asses corn growth in agrivoltaic facilities. They also proposed to use spatiotemporal shadow distribution (SSD) to optimize crop yield and power production.

World’s highways could host 52.3 billion solar panels, say researchers Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Chinese Academy of Geosciences, and Columbia University have concluded that solar-covered highways could meet more than 60% of the world’s annual energy needs.

ChargePoint introduces Omni Port universal EV charger The connector is compatible with all major electric vehicle brands, including Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a proclamation to holds tariff on crystalline silicon PV cells that at 14.25% while allowing up to 12.5 GW to be imported, up from 5 GW. These include cells whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products, and is effective as of August 1, 2024.

The solar tariffs date back to 2018 when signed into law by former President Donald Trump. The purpose of section 201 of the 1974 trade act was to limit imports while giving the U.S. time to ramp up a domestic solar supply chain. It wasn’t until four years later after the Biden administration passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 that a domestic solar supply chain began its upward trajectory.

In April the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee coalition, made up of a group of manufacturers led by Qcells, signed a petition that alleged that four Southeast Asian nations are exporting dumped goods from China, making it difficult for domestic manufacturers to compete on cost. The companies said the current “manufacturing renaissance” in the United States is under threat from heavily subsidized Chinese cells and modules that are alleged to be in infraction with antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) law.

The IRA’s tax credits and incentives have encouraged clean energy manufacturing in the United States with many companies announcing solar module manufacturing facilities. Earlier stages in the supply chain, however, like raw polysilicon, ingots, wafers, and solar cell manufacturing  have lagged, creating gaps in the domestic supply chain. The new proclamation is intended to “further facilitate positive adjustment to competition from imports of certain crystalline silicon PV cells,” while U.S.-made solar cell capacity ramps up.

IRA-driven battery projects face delays amid economic headwinds: report A Financial Times report has found numerous IRA-driven projects announced or under construction have been placed on hold or cancelled, including the battery industry, due largely to an EV slowdown.

Solar inverter manufacturer financial stability ranking updated The latest financial stability ranking of inverter manufacturers from Sinovoltaics lists Hoymiles Power Electronics, Eaton, Enphase, Kstar and Delta Electronics as the top five.

Rhode Island passes new consumer protections for solar industry amid rising concerns Governor McKee has signed new legislation protecting consumers from aggressive sales practices by door-to-door solar salespeople. Compliance includes federal background checks, disclosure of savings documentation, and detailed breakdowns of lease versus cash system pricing.

DCE Solar “roof-friendly” solar mount passes key safety certification The Eco-Top rooftop mounting structure is designed for commercial and industrial rooftops.

Near $1 billion solar cell factory announced in New Mexico Ebon Solar will invest $942 million in a solar cell manufacturing facility, bringing over 900 jobs.

Ebon Solar, a Delaware-based solar cell manufacturing company, released a joint announcement with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that it will open a manufacturing facility in the Southwest.

New Mexico, which has become a center for advanced manufacturing particularly for silicon computer chips, will now become home to an Ebon Solar facility spanning 834,000 square feet.

Over $942 million will be invested to create the facility, which is expected to generate 900 full-time jobs. The project is developed in Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol industrial development area.

The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance (AREA) served as a key project management partner throughout Ebon Solar’s market evaluation process, facilitating many visits, interviews, and data analysis of the region and site selection support.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ebon Solar to the market; it not only represents a significant capital investment and new jobs to the community but aligns with PNM’s sustainability goals,” said Don Tarry, president and chief executive officer of electric utility PNM and the 2024 AREA Board Chair.

The Ebon Solar factory addresses a critical early upstream stage of the solar panel supply chain. Solar panels are made in a process from raw polysilicon mining, to refining into ingots, cutting into wafers, manufactured into cells, and finally assembled as modules.

While module assembly plants are opening in droves in the United States, with total cumulative capacity growing 71% nationwide in Q1 2024 alone, the need for earlier stages of the chain to be addressed becomes clear. However, cell manufacturing and other early-stage manufacturing processes are quite expensive to build and operate, as evidenced by Ebon Solar’s nearly $1 billion price tag.

(Read: “Can the U.S. fill its domestic solar supply chain gaps?”)

“Ebon Solar is proud to be an innovator in technologies that support renewable energy,” said Judy Cai, chief executive officer, Ebon Solar. “The choice of Albuquerque for our investment aligns with our commitment to sustainable innovation, and New Mexico offers abundant solar resources, favorable renewable energy policies, and a dedicated, skilled workforce.”

SEG Solar officially opened its new photovoltaic module manufacturing facility in Houston on August 8 with a gala event featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony and live country music. The automated factory line has an initial capacity of 2 GW of n-type panels per year with plans to expand to 5 GW by 2030.

“You see this facility?” said Jun Zhuge, SEG’s founder and chief operating officer, addressing an audience of mostly customers, partners and local officials gathered for the opening. “We have invested $60 million right here in Houston. We’re not just talk.”

The new factory and headquarters complex features 145,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space and 16,000 square feet of office space. The fully automated production line – SEG claims it’s the longest PV line in the world – takes in glass and cells and runs through production stages over conveyor belts all the way through framing and packaging. There are numerous stations for various inspection and quality assurance processes. The hands-off line requires 12 technicians to attend the machinery, although more were on hand for training purposes.

“We don’t just want to make money,” Zhuge said. “We want to build solar manufacturing in this country. We want to bring all of the supply chain to this country.”

Conceived by co-founders Zhuge and Jim Wood, who serves as chief executive officer, SEG Solar was launched in California in 2016. Through 2021 the company established cell and module factories in Southeast Asia and China. The photovoltaic cells that feed the Houston operation are sourced from Indonesia, but the company says it is committed to producing cells in the U.S.

A veteran of investment banking and solar installation businesses, Wood eventually went to work for a large Chinese solar manufacturer. He teamed up with Zhuge and other partners with industry experience, and they decided there was a real opportunity to establish a successful American module producer under the right circumstances.

“We looked at a lot of the lessons that we’ve learned from myself and other folks here working at other manufacturers and we said, we’re going to lean heavily into automation,” Wood told pv magazine USA, adding that the production machines are the largest of their types available. “Those stringers are 1.3 times faster than any other stringers in the world. So because we’re fully automated, because the capacity of those lines are larger, because the machines run faster, we’re able to be as competitive here as we would be in Southeast Asia.”

According to Wood, the company looked at other regions to establish its U.S. manufacturing base but decided that Houston offered a number of key advantages for SEG Solar’s strategic development plans. He cited Houston as having one of the best ports in the country, a large and educated labor force with many skills and a very friendly business atmosphere. Moreover, Texas is already the second largest solar market in the U.S. with 42 GW installed as of Q2 2024, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, and is poised to become number one next year.

Wood stresses that SEG Solar’s purpose is not to satisfy domestic content requirements or circumvent tariffs. It is a 100% U.S.-owned company, with the principals assuming financial as well as managerial responsibility for its operations.

“SEG is financed internally,” he said. “We don’t have private equity. There are no external owners. We haven’t taken any outside debt. We’re a true American company where we’ve taken our profits, recycled them and grown this business organically.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loans Programs Office (LPO) announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.45 billion to Qcells to support its North American solar manufacturing expansions.

The loan guarantee is offered through LPO’s Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, which includes financing opportunities for innovative energy and supply chain projects and projects that reinvest in existing energy infrastructure.

The company is developing a solar ingot, wafer, cell, and solar panel manufacturing facility, supplying each stage of the solar supply chain from raw polysilicon to end-user components. The facility, located in Cartersville, Georgia, will be the largest ingot and wafer plant in the United States, addressing critical early stages of the supply chain.

Once fully operational, the facility is expected to produce 3.3 GW of solar panels per year. This is roughly enough solar capacity to power half a million U.S. households, said the company. It is also equivalent to reducing emissions from power generation by more than 5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The project is expected to support 1,200 construction jobs and, upon completion, 1,950 full-time operations jobs. Approximately 40% to 50% of the construction work has been awarded to local contractors, including contractors from Atlanta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee. According to an economic review by the Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development, the investment will create nearly 6,800 jobs in Bartow and Whitfield Counties and has a potential sales output of more than $2 billion.

Panels produced at the site will be designed for both distributed and utility-scale applications. Qcells is also among the largest utility-scale project developers for both solar and storage in the United States with over 2 GW of projects developed or constructed and a project development pipeline of over 10 GW. The company has entered into an 8-year, 12 GW solar and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement with Microsoft to be fulfilled with solar panels made in Cartersville.

Components produced by the project are expected to benefit from the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. Qcells’ products produced at the site are also expected to contribute to project eligibility for the domestic content 10% tax credit bonus.

“Since IRA’s passage, over 325 GW of manufacturing capacity has been announced across the solar supply chain, representing more than 31,000 potential jobs and nearly $16 billion in announced investments across 111 new facilities or expansions,” said a press release from DOE.

While this conditional commitment indicates DOE’s intent to finance the project, DOE and the company must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the Department enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan.

Three small changes that can make a big difference to your energy bills  There are a few ways to make efficiency-minded changes at home that reduce energy bills now and in the future.

8 GW of solar-plus-storage at resilience hubs in California could save lives Solar and storage at almost 20,000 community sites across California could help protect its population during power outages, especially during heat and smoke events, a study found.

Battery fire shuts down California highway A utility-scale battery delivery overturned on a highway after the truck carrying the batteries collided with a car, overcorrected, tipped to the side and dumped its cargo, leading to a fire that lasted more than 24 hours.

Senate committee approves bill to improve permitting of energy projects The bipartisan legislation is designed to speed up permitting by setting deadlines and doubling production targets for renewable energy permitting on federal lands while not compromising environmental review or community needs.

Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

Data center power loads threaten corporate net-zero goals The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2026, data centers will consume more than 800 TWh annually, more than double their consumption in 2022.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the American Tax Dollars for American Solar Manufacturing Act, aiming to prevent Chinese solar module manufacturers from claiming subsidies for their American factories.

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, offers manufacturing 45 X tax credits for solar components made in America. While the lucrative tax credits have been attracting clean energy manufacturers worldwide to build factories in the U.S., the fact that some of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

The bill was introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Cassidy (D-LA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rick Scott (D-FL), seeks to protect U.S. solar manufacturing by removing the tax incentives for Chinese companies and from other “foreign entities of interest” would not be able to receive the 45X tax credits.

“By reshoring the solar supply chain, we can bolster solar manufacturing in the U.S. and ensure our country is not dependent on China for a technology that was invented here and accounted for half of our new grid energy additions last year, said Mike Carr, Executive Director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition.

The Defend Solar USA Alliance also supports the new legislation. The Alliance said in a release that while the 45X tax credit has contributed to the largest investments in factory production in nearly 100 years, it’s estimated that Chinese-controlled companies could collect more than $100 billion in federal tax credits. These credits, the Alliance contends, were “designed to support U.S. clean-energy manufacturers”.

“We shouldn’t be in the business of rewarding China at the expense of our domestic solar industry,” said U.S. Army General John Adams (ret.), and Board Member of the Defend Solar USA Alliance. “The bipartisan bill would ensure that Americans’ taxpayer dollars stay right here at home rather than help subsidize a foreign government’s efforts to put domestic manufacturers out of work. By building a successful domestic solar industry, the U.S. can break from its reliance on foreign energy sources, strengthen our supply chain and reduce our vulnerability to geopolitical conflicts.”

Heliene, a solar panel provider serving North America, and Premier Energies, a solar cell manufacturer based in India, announced a joint venture to produce solar cells in the United States.

The solar cell manufacturing facility is expected to produce an annual aggregate capacity of 1 GW of N-Type cells to supply Heliene and Premier’s solar cell requirements.

Heliene currently sources solar cells from Premier’s Hyderabad facility for use in module manufacturing at its Mountain Iron, MN location.

“Premier Energies has been a valued partner of Heliene’s for many years now and we share a commitment to providing the highest-quality, most-reliable products to solar customers. With demand for U.S.-made modules and components growing, now is the perfect time to embark on the next phase of our partnership with this joint venture,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene.

Under the joint venture, Heliene will contribute construction, project management, human resources, financial resource and management, facility operations, supply chain and logistics, and regulatory expertise. Premier will contribute cell technology engineering and operational expertise in the manufacturing process of the cells, manufacturing equipment selection, financial resources, raw material vendor relationships and supply agreements management.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has tax credits and incentives designed to encourage clean energy manufacturing in the United States. Many large companies have announced solar module manufacturing facilities, but earlier stages in the supply chain like raw polysilicon, ingots, wafers, and solar cell manufacturing facilities have lagged, creating gaps in the domestic supply chain. The Heliene/Premier partnership brings critical solar cell manufacturing capacity to U.S. shores.

From pv magazine Global

Sinovoltaics, a Hong Kong-based technical compliance and quality assurance service firm, has released its third quarter PV Module Manufacturers Ranking, which is global in scope and covers 65 panel suppliers, 6 more than the previous ranking. The report is available to download for free. Results are calculated based on publicly available information from September 2021 to June 2024 to provide insight into the stability of the scores over time.

In this edition, the analysts highlighted four module manufacturers that made improvements, such as U.S.-based Mission Solar’s shift to tenth spot from twelfth, India-based Tata Power Solar up from position 37 to 30, and Taiwan-based Ritek climbed from 47 to 44.

The top of the financial stability chart features four manufacturers from India, Abhishek Corp, Insolartion Energy, Waaree Renewable Technologies, Solex Energy, followed by U.S.-based First Solar, which moved up a notch into fifth from sixth place. Next is Taiwan-based Tainergy, which had the top spot last quarter, now in position six. It is followed by Eterbright Solar Corporation, Taiwan-based TSEC, and two newcomers to the top ten, Vietnam’s Boviet Solar and U.S.-based Mission Solar.

The Sinovoltaics financial stability ranking uses a so-called Altmann Z-score, a quantitative formula that relies on several corporate income and balance sheet values to measure the financial health of a company. It assesses a company’s financial strength based on public information through a credit-strength test based on profitability, leverage, liquidity, solvency, and activity ratios. A score that is 1.1 or lower indicates a higher probability of bankruptcy within the next two years, while a higher score of 2.6 or greater indicates a solid financial position.

The Sinovoltaics analysts note that while the rankings do not say anything about the actual quality of PV equipment, buyers and other industry stakeholders, such as financial institutions, can use the ranking reports as part of the due diligence process or to help identify financially stable partners.

ReCreate, a joint venture between the founders of U.S.-based Create Energy and EU-based Recom Technologies, announced in mid-June a plan to build a 5 GW solar module and cell manufacturing facility in Portland, Tennessee. Create Energy is the brainchild of Dean Solon, who previously grew Shoals Technologies Group from a Tennessee-based startup to a publicly listed PV BOS manufacturer in January 2021. Hamlet Tunyan is the CEO of Recom Technologies, a European module manufacturer.

pv magazine spoke with both solar entrepreneurs on the future factory at last month’s Intersolar 2024 in Munich, Germany.

“In the first quarter of 2025, we will have two module assembly lines operating at the factory, with up to 2 GW capacity,” Tunyan said. “We will then begin cell production within 18–24 months.” For the deployment of the cell lines, ReCreate will potentially acquire another building.

The company will initially source solar cells from Asia, excluding China. “We could even import cells from Korea,” Tunyan stated. “We have to meet increasing module demand in the United States,” Solon added. “Project developers are currently in trouble, and we want to provide them with reliable products.” Increased tariffs on solar modules imported from Southeast Asia threaten to limit their supply to the US downstream market. Southeast Asian manufacturers account for 80% of solar components in the US.

Solon also explained that the ReCreate modules produced at Create’s facilities will be part of a combined package from Create Solutions. This can include equipment EPCs require for their projects, such as transformers, switchgear, MBOS, BESS, and EVSE. “Create Energy along with Create Solutions, wholly owned subsidiaries of Create Holdings, are a one-stop-shop where you can source all the equipment and services needed for renewable energy projects,” Solon said.

The module production facility will initially produce TOPCon panels, although ReCreate may also consider adding heterojunction (HJT) or back contact (BC) products to its portfolio. “Wherever the module technology is going, that’s where we’re heading; we’ll always be on the leading edge,” Solon and Tunyan specified.

He also revealed that, in the future, ReCreate’s modules will be used in what they call “next-gen” PV systems. “Create’s vision is to provide solutions that navigate labor constraints and maximize system reliability at the lowest installed cost per kW,” Solon said. “This will include optimizing the interplay between modules, trackers, power stations, and other integrated systems.”

At his own venture, Create Energy, Solon is charging ahead with disrupting the energy storage and microgrid markets. NanoGrid, the company’s first product, will be the microgrid solution for a top-tier Japanese car manufacturer, extending to dealerships across North America. According to Solon, NanoGrid involves “canopy and rooftop solar, battery energy storage, and site-load monitoring tied to level 2 and level 3 EV charging solutions.”

In addition to starting Create Energy, Solon also anchored the formation of Neos Partners following the IPO and his departure from Shoals. Neos raised $830 million as a private equity fund that has invested in six companies to date, a very impressive track record for a fund that closed in spring of ’23. Solon refers to this collection of target companies as an “un-evil empire” providing transformers, switchgear, EPC, and engineering services. “Create’s clean-tech products are reimagining renewables beyond utility infrastructure to the power-starved EV, data center, and artificial intelligence (AI) markets,” said Solon.

As Solon revealed in Munich, ReCreate modules and cells are just the beginning. “Made in Tennessee” batteries seem to be in the works as well and the focus will be on providing complete EV, PV, and BESS solutions from Create Energy to the North American & EU Markets, supplying large-scale EPCs, renewable energy developers, and Commercial and Industrial (C&I).

First Solar, Inc. commissioned its new research and development (R&D) innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio, which the company says is the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation is dedicated to the late James “Jim” F. Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s Board of Directors and the architect of the company’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor platform.

According to a study by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), in 2023 CdTe represented  about 16% of the U.S. solar market. First Solar is a leader in CdTe technology and differentiates itself not only by the use of the thin film technology, but also by its vertically integrated manufacturing process, domestic production and commitment to responsible solar. At the company’s California Technology Center (CTC) in Santa Clara, First Solar recently achieved a 23.1% efficient CdTe cell, a new world record certified by NREL.

“Thin films are the next technological battleground for the solar industry because they are key to commercializing tandem devices, which are anticipated to be the next disruption in photovoltaics,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “While the United States leads the world in thin film PV, China is racing to close the innovation gap. We expect that this crucial investment in R&D infrastructure will help maintain our nation’s strategic advantage in thin film, accelerating the cycles of innovation needed to ensure that the next disruptive, transformative solar technology will be American-made.”

The new research facility covers 1.3 million square feet and includes a high-tech pilot manufacturing line allowing for the production of full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules. Prior to the commissioning of the Jim Nolan Center, First Solar was using a manufacturing line at its Perrysburg, Ohio facility for product development efforts. With a dedicated R&D center, First Solar expect to “accelerate innovation cycles.”

The company reports that it will have approximately a half-billion dollars invested in R&D and that building out R&D infrastructure will create approximately 300 new jobs by 2025, the majority of which will be located at the Jim Nolan Center.

First Solar is also involved in perovskite solar development after announcing last year the acquisition of Evolar, the Swedish perovskite specialist. First Solar said in a statement that the acquisition will accelerate the development of next generation PV technology, including high efficiency tandem devices. It aims to integrate Evolar’s know-how with its existing research and development streams, intellectual property portfolio, and expertise in developing and commercially scaling thin-film PV.

In addition to R&D planned at the Jim Nolan Center, the company expects to also commission a perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus in the second half of 2024.

First Solar reports it has invested almost $2 billion in R&D, operates laboratories in Santa Clara, California, and Perrysburg, Ohio, in the US, and Uppsala in Sweden.

At the end of 2023 First Solar had 16.6 GW of annual global nameplate manufacturing capacity and is expected to achieve over 25 GW of capacity by 2026. First Solar expects to commission new manufacturing facilities in Alabama in the second half of 2024 and Louisiana in the second half of 2025, bringing its total U.S. nameplate capacity to 14 GW by 2026.

Utility-scale agrivoltaic installation in Ohio is now operational Savion developed the 180 MW solar power plant located in Madison County, one of the first operating utility-scale solar sites to integrate soybeans, alfalfa and forage crop production within the array.

Solar trade group sets standards for ethical solar practices The Solar Energy Industries Association seeks public comment on two standards designed to ensure transparent, ethical solar sales practices and to raise the bar for safety and durability of rooftop solar and storage installations.

With acquisition of Lyra, Aurora adds automated permitting to its toolbox Lyra provides permit packaging software that automates permit-ready solar designs.

Trial by fire: Inside Sungrow’s thermal event testing Sungrow says the industry needs to do more to increase public confidence in lithium-ion battery storage.

Solar electricity “a good idea” for 83% of poll respondents Support for solar electricity has declined by 8% since 2013, according to a recent RMI poll.

Solar nears 9% of U.S. total electric generation capacity The monthly energy infrastructure update from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shows solar accounted for nearly 80% of capacity additions in May, continuing its dominance of new-build generation.

Mission Solar introduces modules for C&I and utility-scale The residential solar panel manufacturer introduced large format bifacial solar modules for larger projects.

SolarEdge Technologies, a smart energy provider that produces solar inverters, module-level power electronics, power optimizers and energy storage announced it has reached significant growth milestones following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. 

Nearing the two-year anniversary of the passage of IRA, the company announced it has created 1,500 new U.S. jobs, with 1,750 total new jobs expected by the end of 2024. 

SolarEdge is now manufacturing in the United States through global electronics contract manufacturers. A facility in Austin, Texas opened in late 2023 and has reached a quarterly production rate of 50,000 residential Home Hub inverters in Q2 2024.  

A second facility was opened in Seminole, Florida. When fully ramped, it is expected to produce about 2 million domestic content power optimizers units per quarter. The company said it has plans to begin commercial inverter and power optimizer production at the Florida facility in 2025. The two facilities together have shipped their first 20,000 power optimizer units. 

“As a global company, we are proud to invest in American manufacturing and contribute to U.S. economic growth by bringing more technological expertise and jobs to American soil,” said Zvi Lando, chief executive officer, SolarEdge. 

SolarEdge said it intends to produce DC optimized inverter systems for residential applications that meet the requirements of the domestic content bonus set forth by the IRA. The company said it expects to produce bonus-qualified residential inverters in Q4 2024 and qualified commercial scale inverters in 2025. 

The company said the U.S. manufacturing facilities will enable such SolarEdge systems to qualify for the full 35.6% of domestic content provided by a module-level power electronic (MLPE) system and support its customers’ ability to reach the required 40% domestic content threshold. 

“SolarEdge’s commitment to meeting the U.S. market through 100% domestic manufacturing is a strategic move aligned with our Inflation Reduction Act plan,” said Bertrand Vandewiele, general manager, SolarEdge North America. “This initiative is creating thousands of new jobs, building a robust workforce, bolstering the local economy and providing substantial economic benefits to the states and cities where we operate.” 

Global solar installations to nearly quadruple by 2033 Wood Mackenzie forecasts 4.7 TW of solar capacity to be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for about 50% of the growth.

U.S. manufacturer Toledo Solar closes business The Ohio based thin-film solar module producer was sued last year by First Solar, which alleged that Toledo Solar sold Malaysian-made First Solar modules under the Toledo name. It has announced it will cease operations.

Solar tariffs could “unintentionally cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry”  A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and the American Council on Renewable Energy shows how antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) tariffs create cost issues not just for imported solar panels, but for U.S.-made solar panels as well. 

Solar panel cleaning with electromagnetic waves Three companies, including Massachusetts startup Sol Clarity, are experimenting with electrodynamic screen systems to clean solar panels using minimal electricity and no water.

Solar supply chain, technology trends, and policy update A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) provides the latest on global and regional solar supply chains, technological trends, and market impacts from policy.

Global energy storage fleet to surpass 1 TW/3 TWh by 2033 According to the latest forecast from Wood Mackenzie, the global energy storage market (excluding pumped hydro) is on track to reach 159 GW/358 GWh by the of 2024 and grow by more than 600% by 2033, with nearly 1 TW of new capacity expected to come online.

Solar for small-scale brewing  Researchers in Spain have investigated the potential of using photovoltaic (PV) or photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems in microbreweries and have found that PVT systems can cover more energy demand but have a longer payback time.

U.S. manufacturer Toledo Solar closes business The Ohio based thin-film solar module producer was sued last year by First Solar, alleged that Toledo Solar sold Malaysian-made First Solar modules under the Toledo name.

Transfer switch for home solar power integration Nature’s Generator now offers a 50-amp, 12-circuit switch to manually power up selected circuits from backup system.

Solar tariffs could “unintentionally cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry” A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and the American Council on Renewable Energy shows how antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) tariffs create cost issues not just for imported solar panels, but for U.S.-made solar panels as well.

The Hydrogen Stream: Hydrogen power plants feasible but inefficient, says CATF The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) says in a new report that dedicated clean hydrogen production and use is often a costly, inefficient decarbonization strategy for the power sector, while American Airlines says it has signed a deal with ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines.

Tesla battery deployment jumped way up while Megapack is down Tesla revealed a significant increase in energy storage deployment, officially reporting revenue for 9.4 GWh of deployed storage products.

Experts consider speedy utility-scale interconnection in Texas going nationwide Some experts shared data to back up their praise for the “connect and manage” approach used by Texas grid operator ERCOT, while others speaking on an industry panel explained their reservations.

Public input sought for large-scale solar project in Arizona  According to the application submitted by developer EDF Renewables, the proposed Socorro project will sit on 3,066 acres on nearly 6,000-acres of public land and it would produce up to 350 MW of solar energy along with battery energy storage.

Yotta Energy launches ‘panel-level storage’ package for C&I solar U.S. storage and inverter specialist Yotta Energy says its new package has several advantages compared to conventional C&I solar storage solutions.

Lithium-ion battery fire safety starts with the manufacturer Fluence America’s president says stakeholder and first responder engagement is necessary to keep failures from becoming newsworthy events.

Trina Solar begins mass production of 430-455 W full-black modules Trina Solar says it has launched mass production of 430 W to 455 W full-black PV modules. The Vertex S+ panels have efficiencies of up to 22.8% and weigh 21 kg, with a 1.6 mm x 1.6 mm dual-glass design.

UL Solutions introduces new testing protocol for residential battery storage systems The latest test method addresses the fire propagation behavior of a residential battery energy storage system if a thermal runaway propagation event leading to an internal fire were to occur during the system’s lifetime.

Rutgers University studies co-locating solar energy with crop production The university is working with SolarEdge to study the practices of agrivoltaics, or co-located solar and farming.

From pv magazine France

Ifrisol, a Tunisian solar module manufacturer, plans to commence sales in the United States by the end of 2024.

Laura Ramoul, Ifrisol’s marketing manager, told pv magazine France that the company has secured UL certification from Underwriters Laboratories for its products in the US and Canadian markets, ensuring they meet safety and quality standards.

To meet American supply chain requirements, the subsidiary of Zrouga Holding has adjusted its sourcing of PV cells, now including cells from unspecified Asian countries “outside China.” These are assembled into tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) modules at Ifrisol’s 750 MW factory in the Kairouan industrial zone.

“We are increasing the plant’s capacity, which will soon rise to 1 GW per year,” said Ramoul.

The solar panels will be distributed in the United States through networks and directly to engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors, ensuring prices comparable to North American products.

Ifrisol is continuing its expansion in Europe, with a presence in Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, and the Scandinavian countries. In France, the company focuses on residential projects under 200 kW.

“We are studying market demand for PERC or TOPCon technology,” said Ramoul.

Ifrisol also plans to construct a warehouse in Senegal by early 2025 to serve the local market and neighboring countries. At the recent Intersolar Europe exhibition in Munich, Germany, Ifrisol unveiled a number of new products, including a TOPCon module in 430 W, 530 Wc, and 590 W variants.

From pv magazine Global

China-headquartered PV manufacturer Trina Solar said it has started mass production of its new full-black, n-type, tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) monocrystalline PV modules.

“The Vertex S+ full black module is specifically designed for PV residential settings, combining high performance with a sleek, modern appearance that seamlessly integrates with various architectural styles,” the company said. “With a full black aesthetic design, it measures 1762 mm x 1134 mm and weighs just 21 kg.”

According to the company, the product comes in six versions, each with varying peak power ratings and module efficiencies. The basic 430 W version has an efficiency of 21.5%, while the largest 455 W variant has an efficiency of 22.8%. The open-circuit voltage ranges from 51.4 V to 53.4 V, and short-circuit current spans from 10.59 A to 10.77 A.

The 144-cell panels operate between -40 C and 85 C (-40 F to 185 F). They come with a product warranty of up to 25 years and a power warranty of 30 years. Trina reports that the panels boast ultra-low degradation rates, with only 1% degradation in the first year and 0.4% annual degradation.

Sinovoltaics updates North American solar module manufacturing map The latest North American manufacturing hub report from Sinovoltaics maps current and planned capacity for 95 plants in the region’s PV module supply chain. The report tracks announcements of current and future capacities at plants producing PV modules, cells, wafers, ingots, polysilicon, and metallurgical-grade silicon.

Carbon removal necessary for solving climate crisis By combining a rapid shift to 100% clean energy with large-scale deployment of carbon removal solutions, we can create a true climate restoration future – one with a healthy, livable planet for generations to come.

Roadmap to designing an efficient community solar program The Coalition for Community Solar Access released a Policy Roadmap that offers legislative guidance including model legislation.

New Mexico solar output drops amid heatwave-induced storms In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that summer weather and a heat dome have brought increased irradiance to both US coasts. As a result, much of the continental United States saw irradiance moderately above average, 5-10% above historical June averages, with the increase most notable along the East Coast.

Solar modules prices trend lower on weak demand, oversupply In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Dimension Energy plans $1.1 billion community solar buildout by 2025 Dimension plans to develop 500 MW of community solar assets by the end of next year.

Smart inverter adoption is generally slow nationwide, says Sunrun executive To greatly increase hosting capacity for distributed solar and storage, Sunrun executive Stephen Rymsha calls for faster adoption of smart inverters using default settings, along with related consumer protections, and ultimately a plug-and-play experience for customers buying rooftop solar.

From pv magazine Global

The latest supply chain report from Sinovoltaics, the Hong Kong-based technical compliance and quality assurance company, covers the North American manufacturing hub, tracking factory size, location, owner, current and planned capacity. It provides details on 95 factories producing PV modules, cells, wafers, ingots, polysilicon, and metallurgical-grade siliconin the region, up from 81 in the first quarter.

The Sinovoltaics Supply Chain Map (SSCM) – North America for Q2 2024 notes 42 GW of total module production capacity spread across Mexico, Canada, and the United States, which manufacturers plan to double to 84 GW in the coming 3 to 6 years. A Sinovoltaics spokesperson told pv magazine that the figures represent “nameplate capacity.”

The report presents data from publicly available sources, as well as Sinovoltaics contacts with manufacturers. “The report gives insights into the theoretical capacity if the factories are running at 100%,” a spokesperson from the company said. “Our data are based on the press releases that we’ve received from different manufacturers and different research, and marketing analysis documents that we’ve seen.”

There are ten more manufacturers included in the second quarter report than the previous one, a mixture of thin film, TOPCon, and perovskite tandem technology companies. The additions are Ascent Solar, Astronergy, Boway Alloy, Caelux, Great Lakes Solex, NanoPV, Prism Solar, Runergy, Solaria, and Ubiquity Solar.

The analysts noted constraints in the region’s supply chain at the cell and wafer nodes. Cell production is at 8 GW and growing to 55 GW in the coming 3 to 6 years, while wafer production is to grow from 3.2 GW to 24.5 G.

The Sinovoltaics team noted the CubicPV decision to halt silicon wafer production to focus on tandem perovskite technology and REC Silicon’s plant closure in Butte, Montana, observing that the market had not moved yet to fill the void.

Sinovoltaics has been tracking the development of PV manufacturing hubs and began publishing a series of free quarterly reports this year, mapping production in India, North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe

Solar ingot and wafer manufacturing coming to Oklahoma The Norwegian company, Norsun, announced an investment of $620 million in a 5 GW ingot and wafer facility planned in Tulsa.

People on the move: Spruce Power, ConnectDER, Amp Energy and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

pv magazine interview: ‘Oversupply issues may continue in 2025’ As part of our Intersolar 2024 interview series, pv magazine spoke with Amy Fang, Senior PV analyst at InfoLink Consulting, about new solar factories coming online and decreasing solar modules prices. She says the downward trend may continue until the first half of next year, with prices reaching $0.07/W, and estimates global module demand for this year could reached between 470 GW and 500 GW.

Back contact solar beats mono PERC at lifetime energy generation A new analysis finds that back contact solar shows an average lifetime energy generation increase of 16.0% over mono PERC. The paper also says back contact had an average 9.7% shorter payback time and 10.7% lower LCOE across all modelled locations.

New York governor urged to double solar deployment goal Currently New York has a state target of 10 GW deployed by 2030. The state’s Solar Energy Industries Association has called for a new target of 20 GW of distributed solar by 2035.

Norsun plans to invest $620 million in a new 5 GW silicon ingot and solar wafer manufacturing facility on a 60-acre greenfield site in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has motivated solar module manufacturers to build manufacturing facilities in the U.S; however, very few factories are planned for the production of ingots, wafers and cells. This shortage leaves U.S. solar module makers reliant on imports, mainly from China.

Production at the new Norsun plant is expected to begin in 2026, bringing much-needed U.S.-made silicon ingots and wafers to the supply chain, as well as 320 jobs to the Tulsa area. Norsun reports that production can be expanded up to 10 GW.

“Our business plan has an ambitious timeline, so we knew we needed a partner who can work fast and efficiently to meet the critical need for American-made energy,” said NorSun CEO Erik Løkke-Øwre. “Oklahoma impressed us even before our selection journey – its robust clean energy, manufacturing ecosystem and workforce development programs were already on our radar, and its competitive business offerings and site acceleration options solidified our decision.”

Norsun, founded in Norway in 2007, specializes in the production of monocrystalline ingots and wafers for ultra-high efficiency solar cells. The expansion was facilitated by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

“I’m proud to welcome Norsun to Oklahoma, and I’m thrilled that Oklahomans will benefit from hundreds of new jobs in the Tulsa area and a $620 million capital investment,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “Our pro-growth policies, workforce development efforts, and ‘more of everything’ energy approach make us an incredible state to invest in, and I’m glad NorSun can be a part of it.”

From pv magazine Global

A new white paper from research and consulting firm Exawatt examines and contrasts key module parameters across various technologies to assess the potential value these technologies may offer for residential and commercial applications. The white paper, authored by Molly Morgan and Alex Barrows of Exawatt, draws on analyses from the company’s Solar Technology and Cost Service.

The paper reveals that, in the modelling performed, back contact (xBC), heterojunction (HJT), and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technologies may exhibit meaningful improvements in lifetime energy generation compared to mono passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) technologies. Through detailed modelling exercises, the document evaluates how xBC, HJT, and TOPCon contribute to increased clean energy generation and potential financial savings depending on specific system parameters.

In both residential and commercial system modelling scenarios, the authors found that xBC stands out as the top performer, showing an average increase of 16.0% over mono PERC, while HJT and TOPCon offer generation gains of 11.4% and 8.2%, respectively.

Furthermore, the white paper delves into the profitability of residential and commercial installations through assessments of payback time and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Despite their premium pricing, xBC, HJT, and TOPCon technologies demonstrate enhanced profitability in both modelling scenarios in comparison to the previously mainstream mono PERC. Among these technologies, xBC emerges as the frontrunner, boasting an average 9.7% shorter payback time and 10.7% lower LCOE across all modelled locations.

While small cost reductions may still be achieved in the current PV industry, the white paper outlines that these are relatively minor in comparison to the potential efficiency gains offered by advanced technologies. High module efficiency is key to driving down system cost-per-watt, payback time, and LCOE, since it can drive down the per-watt costs of many key non-module costs such as labor and mounting.

The white paper underscores the importance for distributors, installers, and system owners to grasp the value proposition of high-performance technologies for informed decision-making on which technology has the greatest value for a specific application.

The authors conclude that as the industry continues to prioritize performance improvements over cost reductions, embracing high-performance PV technologies can pave the way for enhanced efficiency, cost savings, and sustainable energy solutions.

Meyer Burger set to begin production at U.S. module factory The relocation of the photovoltaic manufacturer’s core business from Germany to the USA is taking shape. Production of heterojunction solar modules is starting and financing for a new cell plant is progressing.

Solar tax transfer for smaller projects: Dissecting a $600,000 tax credit transaction Basis Climate has closed its smallest IRA transferable tax credit deal to date,  marking the end of an era dominated by million-dollar minimum tax credit transactions.

Origami Solar sets up regional fabrication of steel solar panel frames Partnerships with steel equipment producers in Ohio and two locations in Texas will enable Origami to have its steel solar module frames shipped from fabricator to module manufacturer in one to two days, the company says.

‘Module prices surprisingly keep going down’ As part of our Intersolar 2024 interview series, pv magazine spoke with Yana Hryshko, head of Solar Supply Chain Research for Wood Mackenzie, about overcapacity, declining panel prices and expected PV demand for the next years. She revealed that Chinese module procurement schemes are currently seeing unprecedented, “ridiculously” low bids, but she also noted that the $0.08/W threshold may now be difficult to exceed. Hryshko also expects many manufacturers to backpedal on previously announced capacity expansion plans and renegotiate module supply contracts.

Cultural considerations for international solar expansion Each region has a different way of doing things, whether it’s selecting sites, managing employees, or implementing manufacturing standards. Companies looking to expand into foreign markets need to be prepared to deal with these cultural differences, says Clean Energy Associates (CEA) Vice President Mark Hagedorn.

City of Detroit to install solar in mostly vacant neighborhoods Three Detroit neighborhoods were chosen as sites for solar facilities. The City plans to build 33 MW of solar to power its municipal buildings.

‘We expect solar panel prices to stabilize in the second half of the year’ At Intersolar Europe 2024, pv magazine spoke with Edurne Zoco, executive director, Clean Energy Technology at S&P Global Commodity Insights, about module price trends, increasing solar demand and PV manufacturing outside China. She claims panel prices may stabilize in the second half of this year or in early 2025 and says top seven Chinese manufacturers may even continue with capacity expansion plans. She also believes that, without further substantial incentives, Europe will not be able to recreate a domestic PV supply chain.

From pv magazine Global

From pv magazine Global

From pv magazine Germany

Meyer Burger’s new plant in Goodyear in Arizona passed the factory audit according to UL test standards without any deviations, and production can begin.

The solar cells required for module production have been delivered from the German site in Thalheim to the U.S. plant for some time now. This will continue to be the case in the future to ensure the ramp-up in the USA, Meyer Burger added.

In addition to the module factory, Meyer Burger also plans to build a cell factory in Colorado. It is not yet entirely clear when this will be able to start production. This depends on the conclusion of the 45X financing. The due diligence of a major U.S. bank on monetization in accordance with Article 45X of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been completed and negotiations on the loan agreements are currently underway.

Meyer Burger says it is aiming to complete the deal and make the payment by the middle of the third quarter. At this time, the payment of export financing by a German bank for the construction of photovoltaic production in the U.S. is also expected. The photovoltaic company has also submitted the final application for the loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to finance the cell factory. This is currently still being reviewed, says Meyer Burger.

In addition, a commercial agreement has already been negotiated with a U.S. industrial and technology group and a term sheet for a possible investment in Meyer Burger has been exchanged. This strategic cooperation would enable Meyer Burger to manufacture solar modules in the U.S. with an ever-increasing proportion of domestic components.

Meyer Burger has already signed several contracts with EPC companies and energy suppliers for the purchase of its solar modules manufactured in the U.S.. Now another purchase contract for up to 600 megawatts per year has been added with a large energy company from the U.S.. Delivery has been agreed for three years from 2026 with an extension option for two years. The agreement is to take effect when the financing of the solar cell plant in Colorado Springs is completed, Meyer Burger said.

Meyer Burger shut down its module plant in Freiberg, Saxony , in April after there was no agreement within the federal government on resilience measures for German and European photovoltaic manufacturers .

Maine may design a distribution system operator to advance distributed energy resources Maine has hired a consulting firm to evaluate whether forming a distribution system operator could speed deployment of distributed energy resources and support other state goals. Consultants are reviewing how the approach is used in five other countries.

New platform vets residential solar salespeople An industry plagued by deceptive practices is now verifying salespeople via a platform called Recheck.

Summit Ridge to procure 800 MW of Qcells solar panels The recent agreement brings the total to 2 GW of solar modules that the community solar specialist will purchase from Qcells, mostly manufactured in its facility in Georgia.

More solar installations coming to U.S. military bases In a partnership with Duke Energy valued at an estimated $248 million, the U.S. Department of Defense will be the exclusive purchaser of all output generated by two new solar facilities, which will serve five military bases.

Siting solar projects for best environmental results A new white paper from Clearloop identifies key U.S. regions for best carbon displacement impact of new clean energy projects.

Top solar panel brands in reliability, quality, and performance Solar modules are evaluated in the Renewable Energy Test Center annual PV Module Index.

pv magazine interview: ‘In the next year, some of these guys are going to be bankrupt’ At Intersolar in Munich, pv magazine spoke with Jenny Chase, solar analyst at BloombergNEF, about the incredibly low polysilicon prices, massive overcapacity, and increasing consolidation. According to Chase, this year there will be enough polysilicon capacity to produce 1.1 TW of solar modules, but global module demand is expected to reach around 585 GW. 

The Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) released its 2024 PV Module Index report, evaluating the reliability, quality, and performance of solar panels.

Solar modules are put through a variety of accelerated stress tests to evaluate these parameters. Through comparative test results, project stakeholders can select products best suited for a particular environment, location, or portfolio.

To identify the best of the best, RETC reviewed and ranked the overall data distributions across three disciplines: quality, performance, and reliability. Find the overall top performers at the end of this report.

Reliability

Backsheet ultraviolet durability

Top performers: JA Solar, Longi Solar, SolarSpace

Backsheet ultraviolet durability (BUDT) incorporates a durability testing sequence to probe glass-on-backsheet PV module designs for vulnerabilities to UV exposure and prevent backsheet-related failures. This BUDT sequence starts with 1,000 hours of damp heat exposure to weaken polymeric bonds.

Highlighted top performers experience no backsheet cracking in the test.

Damp heat test

Top performers: Astronergy, ES Foundry, Longi Solar, Runergy, and Trina Solar

The RETC thresher test includes a damp heat test that exposes modules for 2,000 hours, double the amount required for product certification. The test evaluates a module’s ability to withstand prolonged exposure to humid, high-temperature environments. Taking place inside an environmental chamber, the test exposes modules to a controlled temperature of 85 C (185 F) and a relative humidity of 85% for a set amount of time.

RETC highlighted performers that experienced less than 2% degradation after this exposure.

Hail durability

Top performers: JA Solar, Longi Solar

RETC’s hail durability test takes UL and IEC standards testing a step further, exposing solar modules to higher kinetic impact to reflect the risk posed by hail over a 25 or 30-year operating life. In addition to ballistic impact testing, RETC runs thermal cycle and hot-spot tests to reveal potential long-term module degradation.

The top performers in this category withstood an effective kinetic energy of 20 Joules or more. These modules effectively demonstrated resistance to a 45 mm (1.8 in.) iceball traveling at a terminal velocity of 30.7 m/s (68.7 mph).

Potential induced degradation (PID) 

Top performers: Astronergy, ES Foundry, GEP VN, Gstar, JA Solar, Longi Solar, Qcells, REC Solar, Runergy, SEG Solar, Silfab Solar, SolarSpace, Talesun, Trina Solar, VSUN Solar, and Yingli Solar

Potential induced degradation (PID) resistance tests rack-mounted modules in an environmental chamber, which controls temperature and humidity and exposes them to a voltage bias of several hundred volts with respect to the mounting structure for 192 hours (PID192 exposure). PID testing characterizes a module’s ability to withstand degradation due to voltage and current leakage resulting from ion mobility between the semiconductor and other elements in module packaging.

RETC required that PV module models withstand PID192 exposure with less than 2% degradation in maximum power. At the other end of the spectrum, it considered maximum power degradation greater than or equal to 5% a red-flag result.

Static and dynamic mechanical load test

Top performers: Aptos Solar, Astronergy, ES Foundry, Gstar, JA Solar, Longi Solar, Runergy, Silfab Solar, SolarSpace, Trina Solar, and Yingli Solar

This test exposes modules to 1,000 cycles of +1,000 pascal and –1,000 pascal loads at a frequency of three to seven cycles per minute. Measurements were taken after this stress test rate electrical performance.

This year, RETC required that PV module models withstand SDML exposure with less than 2.5% degradation in maximum power. It considered maximum power degradation greater than or equal to 5% to be a red-flag result. In this testing category, it notes that 68% of samples qualified as high achievers whereas 7% returned red-flag results.

Thermal cycling

Top performers: Aptos Solar, Astronergy, ES Foundry, Gstar, JA Solar, Longi Solar, Qcells, Runergy, SolarSpace, Trina Solar, and Yingli Solar

The thermal cycle test calls for cycling modules in an environmental chamber between two temperature extremes—85 C (185 F) on the high end and –40 C (–40F)  on the low end. The RETC test runs 600 cycles, three times as much as the 200 required for certification.

About 67% of modules in this test achieved high performer status of less than 2% power loss, while 9% of tested brands had power losses of 5% or more.

Ultraviolet induced degradation (UVID)

Top performers: Trina Solar and VSUN Solar

UVID tests characterize a PV module’s ability to withstand ultraviolet induced degradation. This optional testing sequence exposes test samples to 220 kWh/m2 of UV exposure (UV220), nearly 15 times the UV exposure required for product certification.

Top performers withstand UV220 exposure with less than 2% degradation in maximum power. Red flag modules that degraded more than 5% represented 40% of brands tested.

“Alarmingly, we observed double-digit power loss in some mass-produced, commercially available PV modules, indicating that these products could degrade 10%–16% in the first three years of in-field operation,” said RETC.

Performance

Module efficiency

Top performers: Astronergy, Mission Solar, Qcells, REC Solar, and Silfab Solar

Module conversion efficiency is determined by dividing a product’s nameplate maximum power rating under standard test conditions by its total aperture area.

RETC has recognized manufacturers of PV module models with conversion efficiencies greater than 21% as test category high achievers. About 56% of tested modules were listed as high performers.

Incidence angle modifier

Top performers: Dehui Solar, ES Foundry, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Longi Solar, Meyer Burger, Qcells, Runergy, Silfab Solar, and SolarSpace

Incidence angle modifier (IAM) is a performance characteristic that accounts for changes in PV module output based on changing sun angles relative to the plane of the array. To characterize IAM, RETC conducts electrical characterization tests at different incidence angles, ranging from 0° to 90°.

Manufacturers of PV module models with an IAM greater than 88% at a 70° angle of incidence were listed as test category high achievers.

LeTID resistance

Top performers: Astronergy, Gstar, JinkoSolar, Longi Solar, Runergy, SEG Solar, Silfab Solar, SolarSpace, Talesun, Trina Solar, VSUN Solar, Waaree, Yingli Solar

Relatively new cell technologies may experience long-term degradation associated with light exposure and elevated temperatures. This phenomenon, called light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID), is tested with a protocol of light soaking, followed by 75 C (167 F) temperature exposure for two 162-hour cycles to identify significant degradation (>5%). Subsequently, test samples are subject to 500 hours of 75 C temperature exposure followed by two additional 162-hour cycles.

Highlighted top performers demonstrated products that had less than 0.5% power loss after 486 hours of exposure.

LID resistance

Top performers: Astronergy, GEP VN, Gstar, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Longi Solar, Meyer Burger, Qcells, Runergy, SEG Solar, Silfab Solar, SolarSpace, Talesun, Trina Solar, VSUN Solar, Waaree, and Yingli Solar

Light-induced degradation (LID), or power losses from sunlight exposure, affects some PV cell types but not others. PV modules exposed to LID losses rapidly lose performance over the first few hours or days of operation before stabilizing. RETC notes LID resistance is highly correlated with cell type.

RETC required that PV module models withstand the LID sequence with less than or equal to 0.5% degradation in maximum power.

Module efficiency

Top performers: Auxin Solar, JA Solar, Longi Solar, Meyer Burger, Mission Solar, Qcells, REC Solar, Silfab Solar, Trina Solar, Yingli Solar

Module efficiency, or the percentage of incident solar energy converted to electrical energy, is a well-known and key metric for solar performance. It is highly correlated with cell technology and module design.

The top 14 highest scoring modules scored efficiencies of 20% or more. An n-type TOPCon cell scored the highest at 25.8% efficiency, followed by a monocrystalline silicon module with heterojunction technology, recording a 22.4% efficiency.

PAN file

Summit Ridge Energy expanded its partnership with Qcells with an agreement to purchase 800 MW of solar panels.

The agreement builds on an existing 1.2 GW relationship between Qcells and Summit Ridge, announced in April of 2023 by Vice President Kamala Harris. At the time the 1.2 GW order was the largest equipment purchase in history for the community solar market.

By increasing the total commitment to 2 GW, Summit Ridge reports it will develop more than 100 additional community solar projects across the country using U.S.-made solar.

Last year Qcells announced what was then the largest investment in U.S. solar manufacturing history, investing more than $2.5  billion to build a complete solar supply chain in the United States. This made the Korean company, a subsidiary of Hanwha Solutions, the first company to establish a fully-integrated silicon-based solar supply chain in the U.S. When complete, Qcells solar panels — from polysilicon to the finished panel — will be entirely made in the U.S.

Both the build-out of Qcells U.S. manufacturing footprint and the growth of Summit Ridge Energy are incentivized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The includes tax incentives for domestic energy production as well as manufacturing. Many of Summit Ridge’s solar projects also qualify for IRA tax credits that will provide thousands of low-income households with greater access to clean energy savings.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Qcells, which enables Summit Ridge to deliver on our promise of giving more Americans the opportunity to power their homes and businesses with locally generated clean energy,” said Brian Dunn, chief operating officer of Summit Ridge Energy. “Through our Qcells partnership, we are able to support domestic manufacturing and job creation, while simultaneously bringing low-cost clean energy to communities that have historically been left out of the clean energy transition.”

Summit Ridge’s planned fleet of community solar farms are expected to generate enough clean energy to power an estimated 200,000 homes and businesses. Since launching in 2017, the company reports that it has deployed over $2.6 billion into clean energy assets and controls a development pipeline of more than 3 GW that will provide solar power to homes and businesses nationwide.

“Expanding this relationship with Summit Ridge Energy means more communities will have access to the most affordable energy resource in the world,” said Justin Lee, CEO of Qcells. “This partnership not only supports the domestic manufacturing industry and thousands of jobs in solar, but it also ensures more people – especially those who have historically been left out – benefit from everything the clean energy economy has to offer.”

The majority of the solar panels purchased by Summit Ridge will be produced in Qcells’ new U.S. manufacturing facility located in Georgia. Additionally, Qcells will continue to provide Summit Ridge with battery storage and software solutions under separate procurement agreements.

New York policy authorizes $814.6 million to fund energy storage The new order puts the state on track to install 6 GW of energy storage by 2030.

Utility-scale solar development: Good planning makes good neighbors A recent study by Berkeley Lab, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University found that sharing plans for large-scale solar projects with local residents improves the perception of such sites.

GCL says perovskite solar module passes silicon degradation tests At Intersolar Europe, the Chinese manufacturer said the perovskite-silicon tandem module would cost 50% of a crystalline silicon module that costs $0.15 per W, meaning $0.075 per W.

A look at the prevailing wage and apprenticeship final rule Taxpayers seeking to claim the highest available investment and/or production tax credits for renewable energy projects must comply with the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

Spontaneous glass breakage on solar panels on the rise The National Renewable Energy Laboratory noted an increase in spontaneous glass breakage in solar panels. The PV Module Index from the Renewable Energy Test Center investigates this and other glass-related trends in solar manufacturing.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week  pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Glass is a unique material used for its chemical stability and visual transparency. It is commonly used in solar panels as a protective outer layer.

In its annual PV Module Index, the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) examined emerging issues in solar glass manufacturing and field performance. It found reports of a concerning rise in solar panel glass spontaneously breaking in the field, sometimes even before commissioning.

Teresa Barnes, Ph.D., manages the Photovoltaic Reliability and System Performance Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Barnes and her colleagues at NREL reported the issue.

“Spontaneous glass breakage is an example of a failure mode that we didn’t used to see. When I first started working on solar module reliability seven or eight years ago, we mostly heard about glass breakage when there were sloppy operations and maintenance practices,” said Barnes.

Now, this is no longer the case, and the NREL reliability team is regularly receiving reports of glass breakage in silicon modules unrelated to direct damage from maintenance or storm impacts. The team found that over time, the average quality of solar glass appears to be decreasing.

“It used to be the case that modules would pass the IEC 61215 static load test with a big safety factor,” said Barnes. “Today, modules are either barely passing the base static load test or they are not passing with higher safety factors. Some new module designs are simply not passing the minimum static load test.”

The NREL team has begun to hypothesize that glass damage in solar panels is undergoing a similar process to a car windshield in need of replacement. When a windshield takes impact damage, often it only shows up as a small star-shaped mark that seems insignificant. But when extreme weather conditions with very high or low temperatures cycle through, the severity of the damage is fully realized, and suddenly a large crack is visible across the whole surface.

“We think a similar dynamic could be a root cause of spontaneous solar glass breakage,” said Barnes.

This rise in breakage is likely due to the trend solar glass getting thinner over time, said NREL. Mike Pilliod from Central Tension, who spoke at NREL’s 2024 PV Module Reliability Workshop said any manufacturer can temper glass that is 3 mm. But under 3 mm, glass tempering is a difficult process. He said that as glass gets thinner, it takes fewer defects to create strength-limiting flaws in the glass. These flaws are actively being studied by NREL to understand some of the potential pitfalls of using thin glass in solar manufacturing.

Barnes warned that it may be a combination of effects that are making glass breakage a larger threat that before. Modules are getting larger, frames are getting thinner, and mounting rails are getting closer together. All these factors lead to “large, floppy modules” that are putting more pressure on the glass surface, which is also getting thinner in many modules.

The NREL team said at this year’s PV Module Reliability Workshop, manufacturers began speaking about introducing thicker frames and wider mounting positions.

“As people better understand how the module system interacts, they can work to optimize how loads are balanced out,” said Barnes. “The pendulum in that balancing act may already be swinging back toward the integrity of the frame and the mounting rail.”

While some module providers are focused on frames and mounting, others have introduced tempered glass modules that are marketed as hail-hardened and resilient to extreme weather.

RETC asked Barnes about the recent catastrophic losses in Texas, where hailstorms caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to operational solar assets.

GCube Insurance, an underwriter for renewable energy, said despite being only 1.4% of total number of insurance claims filed, about 54% of incurred costs of total solar losses can be attributed to hail. This is based on data collected by Gcube over the past five years. Average costs totaled $58 million per claim.

“Ten years ago, people would run you out of the meeting on a rail if you mentioned climate-specific module designs. The consensus was that this would simply be too expensive,” said Barnes. “Now climate specific modules and climate-specific testing are starting to look viable because we are seeing more of an emphasis on total system costs. It is entirely possible that we could see hail-hardened modules, especially in a market like the United States, where it could be worth paying more up front for hail resilience.”

From pv magazine Global

Chinese solar module maker CGL Technology presented its latest perovskite solar module technology at the Intersolar tradeshow in Munich, Germany, this week.

“This module has met IEC testing standards that would suggest it would degrade in a pattern that is similar to standard silicon solar modules,” the company’s spokesperson, Martin Wang, told pv magazine, noting that the company expects this perovskite product to be deployed as part of a perovskite-silicon tandem solar module which will begin mass production in late 2025.

Wang also revealed that GCL perovskite modules were used in the 1 MW perovskite solar power project deployed by China Three Gorges in late 2023.

The company said the deployment of their pure perovskite module at the China Three Gorges solar project represented the state-of-field testing stage of the product. The company hopes to deploy multiple 1 MW projects before the end of the year across different geographies with different environmental traits, to test the viability of the perovskite module.

At the booth, GCL showed two perovskite solar modules: one a pure perovskite module, and the other a perovskite silicon tandem solar module. The pure perovskite module has an efficiency of just over 19%, while the tandem module’s efficiency is just over 26%.

Wang explained that the perovskite solar panel had passed TUV Rhineland IEC 61215 and IEC 61739 certification tests, which would suggest that the solar modules would degrade like a standard silicon solar panel. Wang implied that GCL was moving slowly into the market with that statement because the tests are designed to degrade silicon products, and not perovskite products.

GCL has supplied pv magazine with the IEC certification document. Further documentation to better interpret the degradation results has been requested.

The modules came from a 100 MW test line that has been in place since 2021. The majority of the modules from this test line, which totaled 10 to 15 MW in 2023, have been recycled, as the modules progressed toward units they felt were worthy of deployment.

Wang said that GCL believes the degradation of their perovskite silicon tandem module will be better than that of standard silicon modules. Starting at the end of next year, GCL will begin deploying their perovskite silicon tandem solar module.

A key detail on the product that is different from many others in the market is that the tandem aspect of the product is on a module level – not the cell level. What this means to the manufacturer is that “95% of the hard work” will have already been done in the creation of the perovskite module.

Wang also explained that combining two solar panels was a much simpler process than making a tandem solar cell, and that of the hand-crafted perovskite silicon tandem modules, the units work 95% of the time, and that once the manufacturing line is in place this value will reach near 100%.

Wang said that on a cost-per-watt basis – not expected market price – the company expected the perovskite silicon tandem module would cost 50% of a crystalline silicon module that costs $0.15 per W, meaning $0.075 per W. He said the 50% value that was used in marketing on the perovskite silicon module was done when polysilicon was more expensive, and thus modules were more expensive.

When asked by pv magazine about future efficiency gains, Wang said GCL – in this case – is a perovskite company first. “We should realize the full potential of perovskites, and we should adapt silicon to the perovskite – instead of the other way around,” he stated.

By next year, they expect the tandem module to break 27% efficiency – with greater than 30% “guaranteed”. Currently, in the tandem structure, it is the perovskite module that is contributing the majority of the efficiency, as it is generating at 19% – while the silicon is only running at 7% efficiency.

The current silicon base module used is a TOPCon unit, however, GCL believes that heterojunction will be the best long-term solution due to the product’s higher voltage.

Aiko presents ABC solar module with world record efficiency of 25.2% at Intersolar The Chinese back contact module maker said its new products rely on the company’s all-back-contact (ABC) cell technology and feature a temperature coefficient of -0.26% per C.

People on the move: Amp Energy, Deriva Energy, Atwell LLC, and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

Arizona’s largest energy storage project closes $513 million in financing The 1,200 MWh Papago Storage project will dispatch enough power to serve 244,000 homes for four hours a day with the e-Storage SolBank high-cycle lithium-ferro-phosphate battery energy storage solution. 

Scientists develop silver-free PEDOT:PSS adhesive for shingled solar cells Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a new silver-free adhesive for shingled solar cells. The novel adhesive is based the PEDOT:PSS polymer and can reportedly reduce silver consumption to approximately 6.3 mg/W.

Longi launches ultra-black HPBC solar modules for residential applications The Chinese manufacturer said its new Hi-MO X6 Artist series has an efficiency of up to 22.3% and a power output ranging from 420 W to 430 W. The smaller version is currently priced at CNY 298 ($41.7)/m2 and the largest model is sold at CNY 268/m2.

Nextracker acquires solar foundation specialist Ojjo for $119 million Ojjo makes a unique truss system that reportedly uses half the steel of a conventional foundation and a design that minimizes grading requirements.

From pv magazine Global

Chinese solar module manufacturer Longi unveiled last week a new module series based on its proprietary hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) cell technology at the SNEC tradeshow in Shanghai, China.

The new Hi-MO X6 Artist panel is available in two versions dubbed Ultra Black and Full Black, which share the same electrical specifications.

The new products are sold with wattages ranging from 420 W to 430 W and power conversion efficiency spanning from 21.5% to 22.3%. The open-circuit voltage is between 39.45 V and 40.05 V and the short-circuit current is between 13.54 A and 13.77 A.

The modules have a temperature coefficient of -0.29%/C and a maximum system voltage of 1,500. Their size is 1,722 mm x 1,134 mm x 30 mm and their weight is 22.5 kg. They also feature IP68 junction boxes and 3.2 mm coated tempered glass.

The new products come with a 30-year linear power output warranty, with the 30-year end power output being guaranteed to be no less than 86.9% of the nominal output power.

The new modules are based on HPBC all-black cells and structured glass, which the manufacturer said ensures uniform light reflection in various directions. This feature guarantees a consistent black appearance without glare, regardless of the installation angle.

Unlike traditional solar modules priced by wattage, the Hi-MO X6 Artist is priced by square meter, facilitating easier alignment of the roof area with solar module size and simplifying cost calculations for homeowners. The version with a power output of 450 W is priced at CNY 298 ($41.7)/m2 and the 430W model is sold at CNY 268/m2.

Longi said that the Hi-MO X6 Artist module will enter mass production in the fourth quarter of this year and will be simultaneously available in all global markets.

In March, Longi launched its Hi-MO X6 Explorer and Hi-MO X6 Guardian modules. Later in late May, it presented the Hi-MO X6 Scientist panel. In June, it unveiled the Hi-MO 9 panel.

Reshore solar manufacturing but don’t stall construction with tariffs, suggests union official A leader of a union whose members work in construction and maintenance said the union supported a moratorium on tariffs on certain imported solar panels, as domestic panel output increases, to preserve opportunities in solar construction and installation.

Bill seeks to establish community solar market in Michigan Community solar projects are non-utility owned assets that allow customers to subscribe to a portion of the project’s electricity generation capacity in exchange for bill credits.

Titan Solar latest in residential solar business closures An email informed company employees that the company had ended operations.

Long-duration stability of perovskite solar cells US scientists have analyzed the impact of “seasoning” a formamidinium lead iodide solution with two-dimensional (2D) perovskites. They have found that the template improved the efficiency and durability of their solar cells.

Princeton NuEnergy scores $30 million in funding for lithium battery recycling The low-temperature plasma-assisted separation process, developed at Princeton University and now trademarked as LPAS, produces battery-grade cathode and anode materials suitable for direct reintroduction into cell manufacturing.

Soltec launches specially designed floating PV tracker Soltec has developed a floating PV tracker with pumps in the central tank for mobility and ballast, enabling operation in wind gusts above 100 km/h.

Longi claims 34.6% efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell The European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) confirmed Longi’s achievement of a world record-breaking efficiency rating of 34.6% for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

From pv magazine Global

Longi announced at the SNEC tradeshow in Shanghai, China, that it has achieved a power conversion efficiency of 34.6% for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

The European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) has certified the results, which represent a world record for this cell typology. The previous record was held by Longi itself, which achieved an efficiency of 33.9% in November.

“We achieved this result by optimizing the thin film deposition process of the electron transport layer, developing and using high-efficiency defect passivation materials, and designing and developing high-quality interfacial passivation structures,” the company said in a statement, without providing further details.

In June, Longi reported an efficiency of 33.5% for the same cell. The European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) certified the results, which represented a significant increase on its previous 31.8% efficiency rating, which was announced during last year’s SNEC edition.

Longi has broken the world record for solar cell efficiency 16 times since April 2021. It claimed the world’s highest efficiency for silicon cells in November 2022, with a 26.81% efficiency rating for an unspecified heterojunction solar cell.

Two-thirds of jobs in the solar industry are in construction and installation, versus 13% in manufacturing, said a union leader on a webinar hosted by the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

“We’re a little concerned that the “tail” of manufacturing “could wag the dog,” said Jeff Soth, legislative and political director of the International Union of Operating Engineers, referencing his union’s support for a moratorium on solar panel tariffs that support domestic solar manufacturing. “We’ve adopted the ACP position,” he said.

Chiming in, Bill Parsons, American Clean Power (ACP) senior vice president and political director, said Soth had “articulated a really important principle, which I think our member companies would subscribe to, which is a very firm desire and commitment to reshore as much of the supply chain as we can, as quickly as we can, consistent with deployment.”

“If you cut off” foreign solar panel supply “too quickly,” Parsons said, “you haven’t really helped anything. You’ve just slowed down the construction jobs and the benefits for the grid and for the economy.” Parsons said companies are faced with a dilemma, “the choice to buy stuff that doesn’t exist yet.”

Two-thirds of operating engineers work in construction, Soth said, typically operating equipment such as cranes and backhoes, while one-third are maintenance engineers. Operating engineers work across all energy industries, he said.

Union support for projects

Turning to the potential for union support of new projects, Brad Markell, principal with Clean Energy Labor Advisors, said “you see some opposition” to both utility-scale solar projects and transmission projects. Yet “local unions, that are everywhere, are a key locus for local participation,” he said. Unions can add value “early in community involvement, because union members are living in these communities, and once they understand there’s a potential project coming through their area that they would like to work on, they become advocates.”

Soth said three unions had responded to a request from the solar industry, which led to a tri-trades agreement among the unions representing “the three essential crafts to build solar generation,” namely operating engineers, electricians and laborers. “We’re in the business of meeting the needs of owners and developers,” he said, “and they demanded, frankly, a streamlined project labor agreement with the three essential crafts, and that’s what we gave them.”

Wages, apprenticeships

“The skills and productivity” of union members, Soth said, give the union “a competitive edge, and frankly, allow us to command at the negotiating table the kinds of wages and benefits that our folks receive.”

Noting that a prevailing wage requirement is a condition for receiving energy tax credits, Soth said the requirement “provides some support for our role in the workplace and ensures that the green jobs of the future are, in fact, good jobs.” Clean energy industries have struggled, he said, “to be able to demonstrate that those are family sustaining jobs, particularly in the solar industry, historically, and that’s a function of residential deployment, small projects.”

Noting that women represent less than 25% of construction workers, Soth said his union is “doing everything we can” to recruit women and people of color into the trade, including marketing apprenticeships to students in high school. The operating engineers’ union offers training and apprenticeship programs.

“Apprenticeship is the primary pathway into a career in the operating engineers,” Soth said, adding that apprenticeship is “the best kept secret in career and vocational training.” He suggested that government investment in apprenticeship preparedness would be worthwhile, such as providing young people with “an introduction into the variety of craft unions out there and the opportunities that exist in the construction business.”

Solar visionaries form ReCreate, bringing 5 GW solar module and cell manufacturing to Tennessee Dean Solon and Hamlet Tunyan, two solar industry leaders, have partnered on a new venture that will bring 5 GW of solar cells and 5 GW of solar modules to U.S. and EU markets.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

2024 Outlook: What could La Niña mean for U.S. solar this year? In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, describes the possible consequences for PV plan and grid operators of a possible switch to La Niña conditions in North America.

Solar-powered bus depot features green hydrogen production The integrated microgrid will be connected to the utility, but engineered to operate indefinitely in island mode, according to developer AlphaStruxure.

New York continues long duration energy storage investments with $5M funding initiative NYSERDA is allocating $5 million to fund up to 50% of project costs for developing energy storage systems capable of operating for 10 to 100 hours, addressing key integration challenges and promoting viable economic products within New York’s energy grid.

Dean Solon, founder, CEO and president of Create Energy and Shoals Technologies Group, together with Hamlet Tunyan, CEO of RECOM Technologies, announced the launch of ReCreate. This new venture will establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tennessee with planned production of up to 5 GW of modules and 5 GW of cells for the North American and European markets.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 has stimulated solar manufacturing in the U.S. with production tax credits for manufacturers and investment tax credits for project developers using domestic content. Wood Mackenzie estimates 144 GW of announced module manufacturing capacity, 71 GW of cell manufacturing capacity and 61 GW of wafer manufacturing capacity by 2027. Compare this to the 26 GW of module capacity we have today, along with little or no wafer or cell production, and the 5 GW of both cells and modules anticipated from ReCreate will significantly bolster supply.

The facility is located at Create Energy’s manufacturing facility in Portland, Tennessee. Create is a U.S.-based renewable energy company founded by Solon that produces products ranging from transformers, switchgear, PV, BESS, and EV solutions as well as full turnkey EPC services. Solon is renowned for his creative leadership in the renewable energy industry, bringing over 30 years of experience driving engineering, innovation and manufacturing growth in both the U.S. and global markets.

“We’re excited to ignite the rocket engines on this new venture and deliver high-quality, American-made solar solutions,” said Solon. “At Create Energy, our mission is to ReCreate the renewables market and offer comprehensive solutions for solar, BESS, and eMobility projects. ReCreate will set the standard for the solar module and cell markets.”

Tunyan, well known in the European renewables sector, has decades of expertise in clean-tech manufacturing, project investments and development. RECOM Technologies is a module, cell, inverter, hybrid storage systems, batteries, and electrical vehicle (EV) charger manufacturer. The  company integrates R&D, manufacturing and distribution, with an annual production capacity exceeding 3.2 GW and sales in over 110 countries.

Speaking on the partnership with Solon, Tunyan said, “This project represents a significant advancement in our commitment to renewable energy and innovation. By manufacturing in the USA, we are supporting the local economy and setting new industry standards. Partnering with Dean Solon, whose expertise and vision are unparalleled, enhances our capacity to deliver exceptional solar solutions and drive meaningful change in the energy sector.”

Swift Solar announced the close of its $27 million Series A financing round, which follows on the heels of a $7 million award from the Department of Energy under the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics funding program.

The company, founded in 2017 is a spinout of MIT, Stanford University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and specializes in perovskite tandem photovoltaics. The new technology combines metal halide perovskites with silicon or other perovskites to make tandem cells that have higher efficiency than traditional solar cells.

The $27 million funding round was co-led by Eni Next and Fontinalis Partners. Also joining the round are new and existing investors including Stanford University, Good Growth Capital, BlueScopeX, HL Ventures, Toba Capital, Sid Sijbrandij, James Fickel, Adam Winkel, Fred Ehrsam, Jonathan Lin, and Climate Capital.

The $7 million DOE funding is part of a $71 million investment, including $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which supports research, development and demonstration projects in order to help grow the domestic solar supply chain. Swift Solar was one of four awardees that are working on tandem PV devices that pair established PV technologies like silicon and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) with perovskites.

In total, Swift Solar has raised $44 million to scale its technology as it prepares to break ground on its first manufacturing facility.

“Solar is the future of energy—not just clean energy,” said Joel Jean, co-founder and CEO of Swift Solar. “Our advanced perovskite solar cells can outperform anything currently available on the market.”

A novel vapor deposition technology may help it to accelerate the manufacture of its tandem solution. The new method is a non-batch process that solves two problems associated with the use of established vapor processing in perovskite material manufacturing – the slow speed of deposition and the non-continuous nature of batch processing.

“Our deposition approach allows for the continuous deposition of a fully absorbing perovskite material within less than five minutes,” corresponding author Tobias Abzieher from Swift Solar, a U.S.-based perovskite PV startup, told pv magazine. “Solar cells prepared with these materials also outperform previously realized efficiencies of vapor processed inorganic perovskite solar cells significantly.”

In its announcement, Swift Solar noted that perovskite solar cell production uses less material and less energy, which should drive down manufacturing costs and carbon pollution, potentially decreasing the cost of solar by up to 30%. “The perovskite supply chain could be based entirely in the United States and aligned countries, creating a major opportunity to expand domestic manufacturing,” according to Swift.

Swift Solar’s initial products will be designed for integration in high-performance solar-powered products such as on car rooftops or space-based satellites, and the company says it will also serve traditional solar customers.

Swift Solar was recently named one of TIME’s Top GreenTech Companies in America. In April, The Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition announced the Swift Solar was a new member.

This article was amended to remove mention of company developing rooftop product.

Maxeon Solar Technologies conducted a competitive assessment of its Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar panels, finding confirmation of their resilience against damaging hotspots.

The company has developed its IBC solar panels for 40 years. It tested its Maxeon 7 line of panels against a series of competing technologies including half-cell ribbon-based back contact, half-cell heterojunction (HJT), and half-cell front contact tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) panels. Panels were tested in full sun and then transitioned to partial shading, a condition that forces cells to begin converting power from surrounding cells into heat.

Maxeon found that based on the characteristics of IBC cells, including diode functionality, uniform heating, and lower breakdown voltage, IBC panels like Maxeon 7 exhibit more favorable performance under partial shade compared to other module technologies like PERC and HJT.

IBC panels were found to mitigate the long-term degradation risk of panel materials by better minimizing that heat build-up in shaded cells—staying an average of 67 °C (153 °F) cooler than the ribbon-based back contact, HJT and TOPCon technologies tested.

The Maxeon whitepaper explains hotspot risks:

A solar panel maximizes its energy generation potential when each cell within an electrical string maintains the same current. When a cell can’t match the current of its neighbors, usually due to the presence of shading or cell cracks, it begins consuming power from surrounding cells and converting it to heat—also known as operating in a state of reverse bias. As cell temperatures rise, hotspots can form in the vicinity of the obstruction. Hotspots are very concentrated areas of heat energy that can reach extreme temperatures—temperatures high enough to degrade panel materials by burning the encapsulant and back sheet, as well as damage cells and glass.

Maxeon’s research and development team also tested the resilience of panels to heat build-up after deactivating the panels’ bypass diode, the primary defense mechanism of standard solar panels against hotspots. It found that the IBC panels continued to limit heat build-up even after deactivating the bypass diode.

“Solar panel manufacturers should continue to pursue improved product design—technology risk shouldn’t be the customer’s burden to bear,” said Matt Dawson, chief technology officer, Maxeon. “We believe many of today’s manufacturers are sacrificing product reliability in the pursuit of higher power and efficiency. High performance solar panels truly maximize lifetime customer value when they can match that performance with low degradation and long-term reliability.”

Find the IBC hotspot resilience whitepaper here.

Anza, a solar and energy storage supply chain platform, Q2 Pricing Insights Report aggregates data from 95% of the U.S. solar module supply year to date to provide pricing changes that result from market forces and regulatory changes. With the Q2 report on the U.S. solar module market shows the first price increase in years. Anza attributes this to the latest AD/CVD petition and reinstatement of bifacial import duties.

“After years of record low pricing, we’re seeing the market start to rebound as domestic manufacturers have less pricing pressure from foreign producers that are subject to tariffs,” said Mike Hall, CEO of Anza. “We’re expecting to see this upward price trend continue from here, making it critical for new projects to consider current pricing and potential tariff impacts when sourcing materials.”

Anza’s Q2 report looks at module pricing trends from March to May 2024 and finds that while there was a downward pricing trend in March and April, prices bounced up in May.

Looking at the period from February to May 2024, the median module price dropped from 27.9 cents per watt to 25 cents per watt, marking an 11% decrease. The most substantial change occurred between February and March 2024, when prices fell by 2.5 cents or 8.6%.

The report noted that while TOPCon prices remained steady from January to February, they dropped right alongside PERC through April. Anza attributes advancements in TOPCon manufacturing and increased competition from foreign suppliers as driving these price declines.

Then in May, following the AD/CVD petition, prices began to rise again at about 2%. Anza report authors acknowledge that while this is only a small increase, it is significant because it is the first time since late 2022 that prices have increased.

The report drills trend data down to a weekly basis, which that the median price dropped to 24 cents per watt the week of April 22, hitting what Anza suggests is the pricing floor. Since that time prices have climbed back and held at 25 cents per watt through the end of May; an increase of 4%. Anza anticipates that this upward trend due to the looming AD/CVD petition.

The report contends that “new solar module tariffs and regulatory changes have materially affected pricing, though we are only starting to see early signs of those impacts”.

The tariffs referred to include the new bifacial tariff as well as the looming fallout from an AD/CVD petition officially filed on April 24, 2024, against Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The report notes that while preliminary antidumping determinations for this case are not expected until Q4 of this year, additional duties could be applied retroactively as early as May or June 2024.

AD/CVD laws assess tariffs on goods that are found to be dodging import duties by dumping products in other countries before shipping them to the U.S. In the previous AD/CVD proceeding, four Southeastern Asian countries, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, which were responsible for roughly 80% of the U.S. supply of solar components, were alleged as potentially harboring dumped products from China.

The recent AD/CVD petition filed by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, which includes First Solar, Qcells, Meyer Burger, REC Silicon, and others, claims that the U.S. “manufacturing renaissance” is threatened by heavily subsidized Chinese cells and modules.

Anza’s quarterly Pricing Insights Report looks at the impact of both government incentive programs, such as the IRA, and AD/CVD tariffs—in addition to the recently reinstated tariffs on bifacial solar modules, which generate electricity on both sides of the panel. Bifacial solar modules were previously exempt from tariffs, and the removal of the exemption reinstates a 15% tariff.

The report also compares Tier 1 module pricing to that of Non-Tier 1, and finds that the gap between the two has closed in the near term. The report finds that Tier 1 module prices dropped from 29 cents per watt to 25 cents per watt, marking a 14.8% decrease. Meanwhile, Non-Tier 1 module prices fell from 25 cents to 24 cents per watt, a 4.1% reduction.

In 2023 Anza was spun out of Borrego Solar after Borrego developed the solar and battery storage online marketplace and optimization solution. The proprietary software that drives the digital marketplace identifies the most optimized solar module and storage components based on customer-provided project details.