China is the primary source for solar panels worldwide, producing over 60% of the world’s solar photovoltaics (PV). While the PV industry hasn’t completely dodged the impacts of the pandemic, the solar market is expected to achieve record installations and developments in 2020. Trina Solar, one of the leading solar panel manufacturers across the globe, has announced plans for solar expansion at its factory in Jiangsu province, with JA Solar and ZNshine Solar to follow suit. This exciting news is great for US solar development, as it keeps the supply-demand up and costs down, even during this difficult time. 

Trina Solar shared its plan to expand cell production output by 10 GW. The global leader of solar solutions, known for their innovation and dedication to sustainability, said it will use this new capacity to produce cells compatible with 210 mm wafers. The goal is for 26 GW of solar capacity by the end of 2021, with 70% devoted to 210 mm size wafers. This ingenious plan will roll out in two phases. The first phase will deploy 7.6 GW of new production lines, and in the second phase, it will retrofit 2.4 GW of its existing capacity at the current site to accommodate 210 mm wafers. Trina Solar will invest over CNY 3 billion and CNY 800 million to achieve these ambitious goals. 

JA Solar announced a strategy aimed to ramp up wafer production by 20 GW. The high-performance PV production company signed a contract with the municipal government of Qujing looking to deploy 20 GW of wafer production capacity. Their capacity expansion plan will spend CNY5.8 billion to achieve this. 

ZNshine Solar’s expansion plan includes bolstering its PV module output capacity by 10 GW or more. The solar module manufacturer will build a new production facility in Suqian to help achieve this objective and will roll out its expansion plan in two phases, similar to Trina Solar. The first phase deploys a total capacity of 4 GW by the end of November and the second phase will add another 6 GW by the end of 2021.     

This news comes at an integral point in the PV industry. The market has been impacted by the coronavirus crisis but continues to chug along with these exciting advancements and expansion plans from some of the biggest names in solar production. At Intersect Energy, we look forward to seeing this continued growth. If you’re interested in lowering your facility’s energy costs and utilizing highly desirable clean energy, contact us today. To stay up-to-date with all the latest solar news, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

COVID-19 has disrupted almost every household, business, and industry across the world. The solar industry has not been spared, suffering massive layoffs, significant project delays, uncertainty, and a downgrade of commercial solar demand. At the beginning of 2020, the global markets were strong. Market predictions were seeing an upward trend for the outlook of solar, with community solar being the fastest-growing segment of the solar industry. According to NREL, as we entered 2020, the United States had 1.3 GW of community solar already built with another 1.8 GW in the works.  

Despite the challenges that the novel coronavirus has presented, community solar has shown promising results of weathering the adverse effects of the pandemic. While the whole solar community is still showing some degree of pain, community solar has remained a resilient segment of the solar landscape. Many attribute this to persistent consumer demand and new market expansions in major global markets, including Massachusetts, Colorado, and New Jersey.   

Given the adaptability, flexibility, and reliability of community solar, many agree this segment is well-equipped to handle almost anything, including the fallings out due to the pandemic. Many community solar projects are even hiring additional workers to support current and upcoming projects. 

COVID-19 has caused many drastic changes in everyday life—from social distancing practices being the new normal to many offices and businesses before forced to shut down or pivot to remote work. Despite these changes, community solar has aligned well with many of them, including:  

• Many more people are spending time at home, which means more online shopping. This integrates seamlessly with community solar’s digital sign up process.
• Many residents are also tightening their budgets, and we’ve seen the immense savings solar installations have granted to individuals in the last few years. 
• Community solar has a “touchless” customer experience, which perfectly aligns with recommended social distancing guidelines. 
• Community solar is a great way to support local businesses as the growing demand for keeping track and knowing where your services are coming from is becoming more and more popular.

All these reasons just further prove how community solar can help homeowners’ transition into the new normal. The adaptability of the solar community has helped customers with their financial worries because electricity savings are especially important during this time of economic uncertainty. Many community programs don’t require an upfront cost, which allows customers the ability to offset all or only some of their electricity usage. The flexibility of community solar has given residents the freedom to adjust or cancel their subscription as they see fit. Gone are the days of being locked into a 10+ year contract, with many community solar projects offering a waitlist to customers to fill a project and continue its growth. 

In addition to the many savings community solar has provided to homeowners, the solar programs also support tax or PILOT revenues for the cities, townships, and communities where the installations are constructed. The money stays within the community, proving to be especially important during the pandemic. 

In the wake of the economic turndown, one thing is clear—the growing need for the transition to accessible and affordable renewable energy. As more consumers turn to community solar for its affordability, resiliency, and adaptability, we believe it will just continue to grow stronger. Here at Intersect Energy, we’re a Distributed Energy Resource developer dedicated to providing turnkey services to our customers in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. From initial assessment and design services to construction management and financing, we can help you achieve clean, green energy for your commercial or industrial solar energy development project. To stay up-to-date with all the latest solar news, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.