Strong solar and wind meant MIBEL recorded the lowest energy prices compared to the other major European markets in the final week of November, according to data collected by Aleasoft Energy Forecasting.

Solar-industry companies need to forget ideas about office-based roles and look far afield to source the recruits necessary for the energy transition – and then they need to keep them loyal by offering a rewarding career.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in November, weather patterns have started to resemble the characteristic El Niño signature, with low pressure in the northwest Pacific, and an enhanced subtropical jet stream spreading from the Pacific across the southern United States.

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.

Solar industry expansion is racing ahead but shortages of skilled labor could derail progress. Long-term solutions are required to support further growth. Benoit Ribeaud, partner at Everoze, explores how a workforce bottleneck is affecting the solar industry and calls for more action to alleviate recruitment pressure.

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A multi-year research project in the Netherlands is assessing the potential of dual-use solar PV, integrating crops for dairy farming with solar PV using single-axis tracking, vertical PV, and bifacial modules. 

Greece’s energy regulator has published a call for the country’s second energy storage tender to take place in February next year.

An article published in French newspaper Le Monde recently sparked a war between two prominent European PV associations – the decades-old SolarPower Europe and the three-year-old newcomer the European Solar Manufacturing Council. pv magazine looked into the matter to unpick the potential long-term impact the rift could have on the sector.

Scientists in Spain have proposed to combine anaerobic digestion plants with photovoltaic-thermal panels and have found that this combination may achieve an LCOE of $0.045/kWh across several locations in Europe and North America.

American scientists have attached solar cell assessment modules to four seals. They found that in most conditions, PV can power marine wildlife telemetry modules.

The new product utlizes propane refrigerant with a lower global warming potential and has a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of over 5. According to the manufacturer, it can achieve a flow temperature of 75 C and 100% heating output at outside temperatures of -15 C.

BloombergNEF says historically low module prices will drive the global solar industry to record installations in 2023.

Brazil has announced a $3.6 billion hydrogen production plan, Adnoc has launched a green hydrogen refueling-station pilot in the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union has moved forward on the establishment of EU-wide hydrogen rules.

The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technology. As a key patent expires, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.

France’s National Solar Energy Institute (INES) – a division of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) – is developing ultra-thin TOPCon solar devices for space missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The China National Institute of Metrology has certified the result. The manufacturer claims it was able to increase the panel efficiency from 16.02% to 18.04% in a few months.

German researchers measured a PV-powered heat pump with battery storage in a single-family home in Freiburg, Germany, for a period of a year. It features smart grid-ready tech that adjusts operations based on the grid.

AEG is offering three versions of its new all-black solar panels, with power outputs of 435 W to 445 W and efficiency ratings ranging from 21.5% to 22.0%. They feature 108 half-cut monocrystalline cells with n-type technology.

India’s Waaree has signed a three-year deal with Acciona to supply 1.5 GW of TOPCon solar modules for the Spanish developer’s PV installations in the United States from 2024 to 2026.

Wood Mackenzie says in a new report that China could install 230 GW of PV and wind capacity and export more than 200 GW of solar panels in 2023. Unlike Europe and United States, the country is avoiding the high curtailment of PV and wind.

German module manufacturer Solarwatt blamed market disruptions and very low module prices for its decision to lay off 10% of employees at the end of the year.

Bernreuter Research says in a new report that it expects polysilicon prices to soon dip below the historical low of $6.75/kg, which was reached in June 2020. It says global polysilicon capacity could hit 2.75 million metric tons (MT) by the end of December, with just 200,000 MT of the total outside of China.

Scientists in India have developed a 500 W seven-level inverter prototype based on switched capacitors. The device is reportedly able to achieve a high efficiency despite switching, conduction, and capacitor voltage ripple losses.

The Republic of Chad has started accepting applications for a consulting engineer to supervise the construction of a 30 MW (AC) ground-mounted solar power plant – with a 60 MWh storage system, 90 kV line and 90/33 kV substation – near the national capital, N’Djamena.

Sparc Hydrogen has successfully tested a green hydrogen tech prototype and is now advancing to a pilot plant study near Adelaide, Australia.

The new battery concept has purportedly an energy density that is 1.6 times higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Infinite Turbine has developed a heat pump turbine for residential and commercial applications, using PV or alternative electricity sources for simultaneous cooling and hydraulic power. The tech can be retrofitted with existing CO2 heat pump systems for air conditioning, hot water, and process heat.

Switzerland-based Studer says its new infra product can include up to 24 kW of solar and 30 kWh of battery storage. The system has two 12 kW inputs for solar panels and uses 5 kWh batteries from Italian manufacturer Weco.