According to figures released by China’s National Energy Administration, small scale PV systems with a combined generation capacity of 1,016 MW were grid-connected in August alone. Some 3,949 MW of such arrays have been installed in the first eight months of the year, leaving a little over 2 GW before this year’s 6 GW incentives cap for small systems is reached. The provinces of Shandong – which added 434 MW of new small scale capacity last month – Hebei (240 MW) and Henan (103 MW) dominated the August figures.
Module manufacturer Suntech announced on Wednesday its Indonesian factory has begun production. The 500 MW cell and module fab is in Batam, the largest city in Riau Islands province, and has production lines compatible with 158mm and 166mm wafers. The facilities can be altered to accommodate 182mm wafer production if needed, said Suntech. The facility is expected to double production capacity this year with its products earmarked for the Indonesian and U.S. markets, according to the manufacturer.
Hong Kong-listed polysilicon manufacturer and renewables developer Xinte Energy has offered new insight into global figures for the Covid-19-affected production and consumption of the raw material used for solar panels. Xinte, which is 88.43% owned by Chinese electricals company TBEA, on Wednesday said the world had 10% more annual polysilicon production capacity in the first six months of the year than during the same period of 2019, with a 265,000-ton figure, according to data published by the silicon industry branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. Demand rose almost 11% over the same period but, nevertheless, at 257,000 tons, prompted an 8,000-ton surfeit of the material.
Solar module manufacturer Canadian Solar on Wednesday announced it completed a US$230 million offering of 2.5%, five-year convertible senior notes. With buyers having the option of purchasing an additional US$30 million in aggregate principal amount of the notes, Canadian Solar said it raised US$223 million from the exercise.
