China’s Q-Sun to produce 10 GW of PV modules and cells in Oman

Oman to build a solar PV manufacturing facility: Muscat-based renewables player Bakarat Investment has partnered with Chinese solar PV firm Q-Sun Solar to develop a 10 GW solar cell and module production plant at Sohar Freezone, OmanDaily Observer reports. The investment ticket and timeline for the project was not disclosed.

The details: The facility will feature 8 GW of PV module manufacturing capacity and 2 GW of PV cell production capacity, catering to both TOPCon and HJT technology requirements — two new types of solar cells that are predicted to offer higher efficiencies and less power losses than the current conventional silicon cell. The partnership will also promote local manufacturing capabilities and knowledge transfer and spreading manufacturing expertise globally.

About Q-Sun: Established in 2014, the company provides solar PV cells and modules to over 1 mn users in more than 50 countries. The company's products include its high-efficiency N-type solar modules.

Oman is going big on solar equipment manufacturing: Chinese solar panel manufacturer Hainan Drinda is also establishing a USD 700 mn high-efficiency photovoltaic cell facility in Oman with an annual production capacity of 10 GW. Australia’s renewable energy developer United Solar Group began construction on a USD 1.3 bn polysilicon — a key material in solar panel manufacturing — production facility also in Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone. Engineering students at Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University developed a solar panel production technique that relies on polyethylene and graphene instead of crystalline silicon that hat are 60% more efficient at absorbing light than silicon-based alternatives.