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 4.9 earthquake that shook Anaheim on the last day of RE+ 2024 did little to rattle the enthusiasm seen and felt at the largest energy conference in North America.

Norway’s REC Silicon says it has completed construction at its restarted Moses Lake factory and will ship its first commercial polysilicon from the site in mid-October.

China’s Ministry of Commerce has described the Office of the US Trade Representative’s recent decision to raise tariffs on Chinese solar components, batteries, semiconductors, steel, and EVs as “typical unilateralism and protectionism.” It added that the tariff increases will harm US companies and consumers.

Denmark’s Eurowind Energy has signed a deal for 65 MW of solar in central Portugal, split equally between 11 projects. Construction is expected to begin before the second quarter of 2025.

The French energy regulator says in a new report that France allocated about 5.55 GW of PV capacity through its auction mechanism for large-scale solar between 2011 and 2013. Despite falling solar module prices, the auction mechanism did not lead to cheaper PV electricity or lower project costs.

Envertech says it has developed microinverters for PV systems supporting up to 60 modules, allowing up to four modules per unit with separate maximum power point tracking.

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.

A research team from South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST) has designed a wire-free transparent solar cell and module with all electrical contacts placed on the rear side. A 16 cm² module achieved a power conversion efficiency of 14.7% and successfully charged a smartphone using natural sunlight.

Paxos Solar has developed a new glass-glass PV tile that integrates with heat pumps, featuring Longi’s back-contact solar cells. The 44 W, 59.5 cm x 48 cm tile can also produce heat for residential systems.

The novel method uses the YOLOv8 framework, integrating an attention mechanism and a transformer model. It was tested on a dataset of 4,500 electroluminescence images against several other models and its results were up to 17.2% more accurate.

Researchers in China have found that a special type of hygroscopic hydrogel made of the polyacrylamide polymer and lithium chloride may reduce PV module temperature by up to 7.5%. They have also developed a mathematical model to analyze the operational mechanisms and factors responsible for the cooling performance.

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.

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.

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researchers have told pv magazine that hydrogen storage pipelines and gravel could become a reality in lakes or water reservoirs in Europe, the United States, Japan, or China within 10 years. “The technology required to implement the proposed system is available, simple and cheap,” they said.

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

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).

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.

The 30 MW plant is the first utility-scale, grid-connected flywheel energy storage project in China and the largest one in the world.

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.

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.

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.