2022

Scientists in Sweden have developed a wide-gap ACIGS solar cell with hydrogen-doped indium oxide (IOH) transparent back contacts and silver alloying to increase the absorber bandgap energy. The device achieved an efficiency of 12.0%, an open-circuit voltage of 835 mV, a short-circuit current of 22.1 mA cm2, and a fill factor of 65.2%.

Chinese panel maker DAH Solar has developed a rooftop PV module with a new design that is claimed to enable water to wash away dust without the need for manual cleaning operations. The panel is offered in five versions with power output ranging from 450 W to 470 W and efficiency spanning from 20.85% and 21.78%.

The International Renewable Energy Agency’s latest annual report on the progress towards UN sustainable development goal seven estimates 670 million people will still lack electricity in 2030, and more than 2 billion will be reliant on unhealthy, polluting cooking methods.

EDF Renewables maintains a 23.4 MW agrivoltaic facility that supports local wildlife and agriculture. Since it was installed in 2009, the project pioneered efforts in supporting bees, butterflies, and sheep grazing.

According to the terms of the settlement, Canadian Solar agrees not to import shingled solar modules into the United States.

Concurrent with the two-year halt of solar tariffs on major Southeast Asian panels suppliers, the Biden Administration invoked the Defense Production Act and is using the full power of federal procurement capabilities to boost US-made solar.

The Romanian government is working with EIT InnoEnergy to accelerate the country’s involvement in the European battery value chain through several initiatives and by committing to the training of 20,000 workers.

Solar power is the main driver of renewable energy development in Poland, which is on track to achieve 20 GW of PV capacity by 2025, according to a new report. Regulatory changes and rising electricity prices led to a “spectacular success” for the country’s PV industry in 2021.

The new prototype uses a triple-junction compound design, which sandwiches the solar cell between layers of film. The module is expected to be used in a variety of vehicles, an application that demands high efficiency and lightweight construction. Its conversion efficiency bests that of a similar Sharp module developed in 2016, which notched an efficiency of 31.17%, at the time a world record.

pv magazine spoke with Marcin Jedrachowicz, sales manager for Eastern Europe at JinkoSolar, about the challenges and prospects of the thriving Polish solar sector. According to him, photovoltaics has now reached full maturity in the country and its growth rate is comparable to that of Europe’s largest PV markets.