Solar manufacturer Canadian Solar (CSI) has submitted an environmental impact report for its proposed 5 GW silicon ingot manufacturing facility to the Baotou City Ecology and Environment Bureau in Inner Mongolia.
The company already operates a 3 GW monocrystalline silicon ingot and wafer fab in the region, recycling edge waste as raw material, which reduces silicon ingot production efficiency. To enhance overall economic benefits, Canadian Solar plans to invest RMB 100.61 million ($13.85 million) in a new production line for silicon rods, reprocessing edge waste. The facility is expected to achieve an annual output of 5 GW upon completion.
In December 2024, USITC agreed to launch an investigation into Trinasolar’s patent infringement allegations against Canadian Solar (see North America Solar PV News Snippets). The latter had responded by calling it a frivolous lawsuit (see TOPCon Patent War Heating Up).
Vertically integrated solar manufacturer TCL TZE has projected a net loss of RMB 8.2 billion ($1.13 billion) to RMB 8.9 billion ($1.22 billion) for fiscal year 2024, a stark contrast to its RMB 3.42 billion ($470.13 million) net profit in 2023. The company attributed the losses to severe price drops caused by supply-demand imbalances in the PV industry, leading to cash-cost losses in its new energy materials business since Q2. TCL TZE also mentioned that its overseas subsidiary Maxeon underperformed during its transformation, worsening the financial strain.
TCL TZE subsidiary Huansheng Solar recently obtained a supply chain traceability capability report (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Leading solar manufacturer Trinasolar has forecast a net loss of RMB 3.2 billion ($440.41 million) to RMB 3.8 billion ($522.98 million) for FY2024, as opposed to a RMB 6.53 billion ($899.12 million) profit in 2023. Despite increased module shipments, the company faced intense pressure from industry-wide supply-demand imbalances and falling module prices, significantly squeezing profit margins. Precautionary asset impairment provisions exacerbated the loss, says Trina.
The company, however, maintained a strong market presence in modules, distributed systems, energy storage, and trackers. Its distributed PV business retained a high market share, while overseas energy storage shipments and market share continued to grow.
TrinaTracker, the tracker manufacturing subsidiary of Trinasolar, recently obtained Bureau Veritas’ carbon footprint certification for its Vanguard-1P tracker (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
A group of 9 companies – IRICO Group New Energy, Almaden, Flat Glass (FGG), Ancai Hi-Tech (ACHT), Kibing Group, Xinfuxing Glass, Triumph Group, Xinyi Glass, and NSG Group – has issued a proposal to oppose the use of substandard solar photovoltaic glass by some companies that are trying to reduce costs by cutting corners.
The statement highlights the emergence of harmful practices in the solar glass market, such as using toxic arsenic trioxide as a clarifying agent. The 9 companies call for the entire photovoltaic supply chain to work together to reject the production and circulation of such hazardous solar glass products.
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has published the 2024 China Wind and Solar Resource Annual Bulletin, analyzing national wind and solar energy resources and their variations over the past 10 and 30 years. In 2024, China's average annual horizontal global irradiance was 1,511.8 kWh/m², slightly below the 30-year (-9.5 kWh/m²), 10-year (-4.9 kWh/m²), and 2023 (-4.3 kWh/m²) averages. Provincial irradiance ranges from 1,066.5 kWh/m² to 1,785.0 kWh/m², with Tibet at 1785.0 kWh/m², Qinghai at 1697.8 kWh/m², and Xinjiang at 1563.4 kWh/m², ranking as the top 3 regions.
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