In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports the Typhoon Yagi caused a significant reduction in solar power generation across key cities in Vietnam, China, and the Philippines, with some areas reporting their lowest irradiance days on record for September.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Researchers led by scientists from CNRS in France are exploring an exotic form of silicon called silicon clathrate as a material for energy applications, including photovoltaics. Mastering the synthesis and using appropriate characterizations are key elements towards potential applications. Significant progress is being made for the fabrication of functional devices.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Filipa Monteiro Martins, Renewables Innovation Unit Manager at Portuguese energy company Galp. She says that inclusion is a critical driver of long-term business success and innovation, especially in the renewable energy industry, where the ability to adapt and evolve is key.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

The Netherlands is preparing to end its net-metering scheme, prompting two Dutch research institutes to study the potential impact on PV system profitability. They found that increasing self-consumption rates from 30% to 60% would keep profitability levels stable.

Ampin Energy Transition and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. have formed a joint venture company, Ampin C&I Power, to develop renewable energy sources in India.

Solevi, a German electroluminescence (EL) inspection company, has launched drone-based electrical inspection services for rooftop solar installation in Germany with plans to automate further and expand geographically.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have presented a new heat pump system that may avoid reducing heat supply during defrosting operations. The proposed concept can reportedly execute defrosting operations while ensuring continuous heating by condensing the refrigerant in the frosted evaporator.

The analysis from Taipei-based intelligence provider TrendForce finds that the average price for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system cells continued to slide in August, reaching CNY 0.35/Wh ($0.049/Wh). Meanwhile, demand for large capacity cells continued to grow at a steady pace.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) says the island added 2.7 GW of new solar capacity last year, bringing its total capacity to 12.41 GW by December 2023. Feed-in tariffs for installations up to 100 kW continue to drive the market.

Dubai-based developer Amea Power has agreed to build a 1 GW solar plant with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and an additional 300 MWh BESS. This follows the signing of two power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co.

Lebanon’s Minister of Energy and Water has opened a tender for an 8 MW solar plant that will be publicly funded and connected to the medium-voltage grid to supply power to Electricité du Liban.

Scientists have proposed a new system that uses surplus PV energy in the spring and the autumn to charge up underground thermal energy storage for later use in the summer and winter. They have simulated it on a school facility in Seoul, with a few optional configurations for thermal storage. Power savings were up to 39%.

Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) says it has received 643 bids totaling 1.7 GW in its first agrivoltaic tender. About 56% of the proposals have come from the country’s sunny southern regions.

A European research consortium has produced a prototype solid-state battery using a new manufacturing process that reportedly achieves high energy densities and can be implemented on modern lithium-ion battery production lines.

Venice-based 9-tech has developed a thermomechanical process to recycle end-of-life PV panels, with early results showing an 87% recovery yield of materials such as silicon, copper, and silver.

A group including scientists from Insititute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) and German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm has developed a POLO back junction solar cell by using an industrial plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system with a low-frequency plasma source. The device achieved a slightly higher efficiency than a reference device fabricated via more expensive atomic layer deposition (ALD).

A research paper from scientists at Swansea University describes their tool for analyzing thermodynamic limits of organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics (OPVs). One of the findings was that semi-transparent solar PV deployed in greenhouses may deliver comparable performance to conventional crystalline silicon PV.

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has backed a hydrogen fuel cell developer $7 million to support an innovative form of technology using silicon-based bipolar plates.

Shifting requirements for supply chain traceability and carbon footprint disclosure, along with solar oversupply and unsustainably low module prices, have made 2024 a challenging year for PV manufacturers. Despite these obstacles, the industry remains committed to its crucial role in the global energy transition. pv magazine recently spoke with Haimeng Zhang, chief strategy and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) officer at Longi Green Energy, about how the sector is preparing to meet these challenges.

Aiko Solar, GoodWe, and Ginlong Solis have all posted declines in net profit for the first half of 2024 due to industry overcapacity.

Belgium’s transmission and distribution system operator says it plans to allow household solar panels and batteries with a plug and socket to connect to the grid from May 2025.

In a paper published in nature, the Chinese module maker explained that the 33.9%-efficient tandem device it unveiled in December 2023 is based on a bilayer intertwined passivation strategy that combines efficient electron extraction with further suppression of nonradiative recombination. It also revealed that its two-terminal tandem prototype devices achieved an efficiency of 34.6%.

Chinese module maker Aiko Solar says it has built a 150 kW off-grid solar carport at an altitude of 4,300 meters on Mount Everest, featuring 645 W bifacial dual-glass modules and 200 kWh of battery storage.

Investment confidence in Australia’s green hydrogen industry has received a $660 million boost following a joint declaration with Germany to negotiate supply chains that guarantee European buyers for Australian products.

Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has started accepting bids to set up 2 GW of renewable energy projects backed with energy storage systems for assured peak supply of 8 GWh. Bidding closes on Oct. 14.

The Dengkou Renewable Energy Storage Project is billed as the largest single-capacity energy storage station under construction in China.

Norwegian developer Scatec ASA has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 1 GW solar array and 100 MW/200 MWh battery storage project in Egypt. CEO Terje Pilskog says it is Egypt’s first hybrid solar-plus-battery project.

The device developed by TU Bergakademie Freiberg researchers uses aluminum as an anode, graphite as a cathode, and a polymer-based solid electrolyte. It is being validated and further developed for industrial production. The goal is storage capacity of 10 kWh.