Harris vs. Trump on US energy transition: The 90-minute televised and much-watched debate between the 2 US presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, took place in between the ongoing RE+ 2024 show. It gave a lot of food for thought to the PV industry as the 2 sparring candidates touched upon their respective stance on energy policies. The last question of the debate on climate change saw Trump say that he was a ‘big fan’ of solar power, but said solar and wind take too much space. His words, “By the way, I’m a big fan of solar, but they take 400-500 acres of desert soil.” Vice-President Harris whose government brought in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), listed the jobs and supportive manufacturing environment the act has created, thus clarifying her stance on the subject.
Post the debate, Sierra Club National Political Director Sarah Burton called Donald Trump a ‘disaster’ for the climate. Burton added, “At this critical moment for our climate, we can’t afford to let him claw back the progress the Biden-Harris administration has made in the last four years in order to pad the pockets of fossil fuel executives. The contrast between these two candidates couldn’t be more stark, and the Sierra Club will continue to work hard to elect Kamala Harris to protect and build on that progress to build the clean energy future we need.”
Meanwhile, the debate saw solar and clean energy stocks gain on the Wall Street as Harris was adjudged to have gained an upper hand over her opponents, according to a CNBC report.
Heliene announces deals: North American solar PV manufacturer Heliene announced a 4 GW deal with SOLARCYCLE to procure the latter’s ultra-low-carbon solar glass that uses recycled materials from retired solar panels. SOLARCYCLE will sell at least 4 GW or 20 million sq. mtr. of recycled glass to Heliene over the next 5 years. It will aid US solar developers in additional qualification for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) benefits, while also helping stabilize costs and domestic inventory, it said.
At the show, Heliene also announced a partnership with solar tracker and fixed-tilt solutions manufacturer OMCO Solar on a new module and racking solution to help developers incorporate more domestic content into their projects as required to avail investment tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Their offering is on display at the show. Their solution bundles Heliene’s solar modules with OMCO’s racking and trackers in a pre-engineered kit. Heliene is exhibiting at booth no. C42001.
Silfab Solar’s new module: Another North American PV manufacturer Silfab Solar is exhibiting its new utility scale solar panels at the show as its most powerline of commercial panels. The Silfab Utility NTC 620-640 XL bifacial solar modules with n-type technology have close to 23% efficiency, improved shade tolerance and low-light performance, made-to-order cables and connectors, stated the company. It is also showcasing the company’s premium residential Prime series with N-type cell technology and Silfab Elite panel at the show. Silfab Solar is exhibiting at booth no. 28051.
TrinaTracker at RE+: The solar tracker business arm of Chinese solar PV manufacturer Trina Solar, TrinaTracker is presenting its upgraded Vanguard 1P solution at the show. It touts this tracker solution to guarantee high performance for solar plants, while reducing installation costs significantly, especially in high-labor cost markets as North America. TrinaTracker launched the upgraded version in December 2023 after what it claims took 2 years of R&D with enhanced safety and reliability features. TrinaTracker is exhibiting at booth no. D30039.