Solar PV manufacturing conference: One of the upcoming destinations for solar PV manufacturing beyond China is India, where companies are gathering support from technologists and scientists to develop an upstream value chain. The idea is not just to establish vertical integration but also to make it a resilient and sustainable one. TaiyangNews is bringing together the country’s leading solar PV players, and international experts to discuss the progress of solar PV manufacturing in the Asian country in a 2-day event in New Delhi, India on April 10 and 11, 2025. The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) will also be in attendance, with its Sector Group Leader Dr. Puzant Baliozian joining as the keynote speaker on Day 2 of the conference. Registrations for the TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference India 2025 are open now here. Take a look at the list of speakers and insightful sessions planned.
Italian RE JV: Renewable energy company Qualitas Energy has announced a new renewable energy-focused joint venture (JV) with Natixis Investment Managers affiliate Mirova in Italy. The JV, named Italian Renewable Platform s.r.l. will own, develop, build and operate up to 250 MW project capacity comprising 33 PV projects across 8 regions. Spread across Piemonte, Friuli, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, Sardegna, and Sicilia, these projects are at varying levels of maturity. The portfolio may be expanded to around 100 MW of wind capacity.
Northvolt bankruptcy: Northvolt, the European battery manufacturer, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden. The decision followed the management exploring all available means to secure a viable financial and operational future for the company, it said. It cites a range of challenges that ‘eroded’ its financial position, including rising capital costs, geopolitical instability, subsequent supply chain disruptions, and shifts in market demand. While Northvolt AB, Northvolt Ett AB, Northvolt Labs AB, Northvolt Revolt AB and Northvolt Systems AB have filed for bankruptcy with the Swedish court, Northvolt Germany and Northvolt North America are not filing for bankruptcy in their respective jurisdictions, shared the company.
Finalists for The smarter E Award 2025: The list of finalists for the 5 categories of The smarter E Award 2025 has been released. Winners will be announced and awarded on May 6, 2025, on the eve of The smarter E Europe at the International Congress Center Messe München (ICM) in Munich, Germany. Following are the 7 finalists in the photovoltaics category:
7Secondsolar (South Africa) for its AUTOPV planning software solution
Aevy (Norway) for the Aevy asset management platform
Aiko Energy (China) for its ABC INFINITE PV module
Anhui Huasun Energy (China) for its Kunlun Series Ultra-high Bifaciality HJT solar module
LONGi Solar Technology (China) for its Hi-MO X10 module, and
MBJ Solutions (Germany) for the MBJ Sunlike Lab solar simulator.
ABC modules in Spain: Chinese solar PV manufacturer AIKO says its n-type all back contact (ABC) solar modules installed at the camping ground Camping San Vincente in Spain are providing excellent results. The 63 pieces of AIKO-A600-MAH72MW system with 37.8 kW combined capacity were supplied to the site by Plug and Play and installed by Genkii. Installed sans battery storage, the system offers an up to 80% self-consumption ratio. AIKO says its modules produced 6.43% more energy than TOPCon modules in the same area. It estimates the project to generate a 394% return on investment (ROI) and a break-even point of 4.88 years, compared to TOPCon’s 5.11 years.
AIKO has also entered a 100 MW distribution agreement with leading European solar and storage systems distributor Menlo Electric to cover the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. Menlo will specifically target Poland for the Chinese manufacturer’s ABC modules.
Huasun explores Dutch market: Huasun Energy, the heterojunction (HJT) solar cells and modules producer from China, is expanding its presence in Europe. It recently participated in the Solar Solutions Amsterdam 2025 in the Netherlands. Among the products it showcased was the G12-132 HJT module with a champion power of 768.9 W and deliverable power reaching 730 W. Another was the G12R Everest series for rooftop applications, while the G12R-96 all-black module attracted attention, said the company. Especially for the growing agrivoltaic market of Europe, and the Netherlands, Huasun displayed its G12R-88 module with a 4-column solar cell layout and bifaciality of up to 95%.
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