Asia

Solar electricity is now CHEAPER than grid electricity in China — with one in five cities finding renewable energy lower cost than coal
Electricity produced from commercial and industrial solar energy systems is now cheaper in Chinese cities than that supplied by the national grid.
Aug 12, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, Solar, China, Asia, Jinyue Yan, grid
Hanergy sets new efficiency record for heterojunction module
Chinese thin film producer Hanergy has set a new record of 24.85% module efficiency for silicon heterojunction technology. The record was achieved at the company’s research & development center in Chengdu, China, and has been confirmed by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, Germany.
Aug 8, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, USA, Germany, China, Europe, Asia, Hanergy, heterojunction module, silicon, Institute for Solar Energy Research, Kaneka, Zhang Bin, Miasolé, CIGS thin film, North America
SolarEdge posts strong revenue increase, slight drop in net profit
The Israeli inverter manufacturer saw its net profit decline 4% year-on-year to $33.1 million in the second quarter, despite shipping 1.3 GW and seeing a 43% increase in turnover. Gross margins were affected by the increase in U.S. tariffs on China made products.
Aug 7, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Inverters, USA, Inverters, Asia, SolarEdge, Israel, Gamatronic, Kokam, SMRE, North America
Hyundai releases car with solar panel roof
Hyundai has released a version of its Sonata hybrid that has solar panels to help charge its battery.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Storage, Transport, Hyundai, Sonata Hybrid, Asia, solar panel roof, Korea, SMMT, Transport
Qatari utility mulls jump to 800 MW tender as consortia submit bids
A consortium led by Jinko Power and Korea Electric Power Corp., as well as another group led by Japanese conglomerate Marubeni and French energy group Total, have submitted bids for Qatar’s 700 MW solar tender. The final results will be announced in September.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, tender, Asia, Jinko Power, Korea Electric Power Corp., Qatar, Marubeni, Total, Kahramaa, Siraj Solar Energy, IRENA
Metito wins 45-55 MW Bangladesh project with $0.07/kWh bid
A consortium led by Metito Utilities, JinkoSolar and Al Jomaih Energy and Water has won a tender to build a 45-55 MW grid-tied solar plant with a bid of $0.0749/kWh — the lowest ever seen in Bangladesh.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Canadian Solar, tender, JinkoSolar, Metito Utilities, Al Jomaih Energy and Water, Bangladesh, grid-tied PV, Asia, BPDB, WAC Logistics and Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology, SREDA
First Solar’s great ramp forward
First Solar reported a bumper quarter during Q2 by most metrics. The company’s net sales of $585 million were nearly double the previous year, on shipments 1.4 GW of product – the most in its history. Additionally, First Solar booked more than 2.1 GW of orders in July alone, a very positive start to Q3.
Aug 6, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Markets & Finance News, USA, SEIA, China, First Solar, Trump, Mark Widmar, Asia, North America
Xinte Energy profits in 1H 2019 to be significantly impacted by polysilicon price declines
Major China-based polysilicon producer, Xinte Energy has signalled a significant decline in expected profits for the first half of 2019, due to polysilicon ASPs declining 43% from the prior year period.
Aug 6, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Markets & Finance News, China, CPIA, SMSL, xinte energy, polysilicon, c-si manufacturing, wacker chemie, ASPs, JinkoSolar, JYT, Asia
More floating PV for Thailand
French floating PV specialist Ciel&Terre is teaming up with SCG, an Asian petrochemical company, to develop floating solar plants at hydroelectric dams in Thailand.
Aug 5, 2019 // Plants, Floating PV, Ciel&Terre, SCG, Thailand, floating PV, EGAT, Asia
Third-party solar markets will win from US-China trade war — Fitch
The global power and renewable energy market is expected to remain largely unaffected by the Trump administration’s new wave of tariffs on Chinese goods. Although shipments of Chinese modules into the U.S. market are falling, Chinese manufacturers sent more panels to overseas markets in the first half of this year than they did in the same period of 2018. Analysts from Fitch, meanwhile, claim the U.S. solar market will continue to expand, despite higher project costs.
Aug 5, 2019 // Large-Scale, Tariffs, Policy, Solar, USA, China, Fitch, PV panels, Trump, solar market, Asia, North America
NTPC opens global bids for 20 MW floating solar project in India
The winning developer will be able to use solar modules and cells of any origin for the plant, which will be built in Auraiya district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Bidding closes on Sept. 5.
Aug 5, 2019 // Plants, Markets & Finance News, Solar, India, pv modules, NTPC, Asia
JA Solar’s bifacial double-glass PERC modules used on 2.5MW rooftop project for Goodyear Malaysia
‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar has supplied its bifacial double-glass PERC modules to a 2.5MW rooftop project at a Goodyear tire manufacturing facility in Shah Alam, Malaysia, the country's largest such project.
Aug 5, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Solar, Malaysia, rooftop, SMSL, JA Solar, Goodyear, pv modules, Asia
US sanctions to redirect Chinese PV supply towards Europe, Asia
Ongoing US-China trade tensions will not ruin solar fortunes on either side as players adapt by redrawing the lines of global supply flows, Fitch Solutions has predicted.
Aug 5, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Markets & Finance News, Policy, Solar, USA, India, China, Fitch, solar pv, trade sanctions, Asia, North America
Japanese giants have solar operations on the down-low
Aug 2, 2019 // Residential, Markets & Finance News, Policy, Solar, Japan, Malaysia, Panasonic, GS-Solar, Kyocera, Residential PV, Asia
SECI issues new 1.5GW PV tender under second phase of CPSU program
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued another tender, seeking PV developers to help develop 1.5GW of solar projects across the country. This latest tender stands as part of the second phase of the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) program.
Aug 2, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Markets & Finance News, Solar, India, SECI, tender, CPSU, Asia