Latest news on the transfer of photovoltaic bracket factory

Will a silicon PV plant be operational by 2024?

In May, a large silicon PV manufacturer, Hanwha Qcells, headquartered in Seoul, said it plans to invest US$100 million in a pilot production line that could be operational by the end of 2024. Silicon is the workhorse material inside 95% of solar panels.

Will the cost gap between imported & locally manufactured solar panels be too big?

“The more prices decline in the global market, the more difficult it is to build U.S. local manufacturing,” said Edurne Zoco, executive director for clean energy technology at S&P Global Commodity Insights. “If the cost gap between imported modules and locally manufactured modules is too big ... many of these announcements might not happen.”

Should solar panels be imported from low-cost producers?

Even in the best of times, the business yields modest profits and does not employ a lot of people. It would be better to import panels from low-cost producers to quickly shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, said Jenny Chase, a solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Could solar energy factories be delayed?

Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America trade group, said factories could be delayed, extending U.S. dependence on China.

Why did Widmar move to a new generation of solar panels?

Soon after becoming chief executive seven years ago, Mr. Widmar said, he pushed his engineers to roll out a new generation of solar panels that would generate more energy at a lower cost per watt. The move was risky because it required removal of old equipment and a big investment in new machinery, a switch that sharply reduced production in 2018.

Are 'tandem' photovoltaics a good idea?

Babics, M. et al. Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 4, 101280 (2023). Wan, J. et al. Solar Energy 226, 85–91 (2021). Jean, J., Woodhouse, M. & Bulović, V. Joule 3, 2824–2841 (2023). Firms commercializing perovskite–silicon ‘tandem’ photovoltaics say that the panels will be more efficient and could lead to cheaper electricity.