An Italian research team has found that radicchio seedlings grown in a lab-scale greenhouse with a perovskite solar PV roof exhibited faster growth and larger leaves than the bare glass reference. In addition, simulations of such a PV roof revealed a positive energy balance, satisfying the energy demands of a typical greenhouse located in Italy.

German researchers have found that the majority of subsidies required to reach the country’s renewable energy targets have already been paid, with an estimated 80% to 90% of subsidies for units in operation covered. The costs of newer renewable energy sources have decreased and are often competitive with remunerations from the wholesale market.

Researchers at Thailand’s Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology demonstrated a novel hydrogel that has high cooling effect on silicon PV panels. The lightweight technology purportedly enables a temperature drop of 23 C, from 70 to 47 C, and a relative 12.3% power conversion efficiency increase.

Scientists in the U.K. have used alumina oxide in perovskite solar cells to achieve lifetimes exceeding 1,300 h under standards-based heat and humidity testing. Their analysis showed that a reference cell based on conjugated polyelectrolytes degraded in one-tenth the time. 

Dutch technology company Withthegrid has expanded the functionality of its flagship Teleport Gateway, supporting real-time control and management for a wider range of renewable energy assets and markets. To enable product and international expansion, it has raised €3.5 million.

A university team in Poland has developed lightweight bifacial vehicle integrated PV (VIPV) mini-modules with back contact cells and glass fiber-reinforced composite sheets. Fabricated in a low-cost process, larger versions of the device are planned for use in a custom-built solar car for international competitions.

Aiko Solar has won a 1 GW back-contact (BC) module bid in China Datang Group’s 22.5 GW tender, while CNNC Photovoltaic announced a 19.7% efficiency rating for a perovskite module and plans to launch a perovskite production line later this year.

P3C Technology and Solutions plans to initially produce the 30 cm2 modules at a pilot 60 MW manufacturing facility.

Two Dutch manufacturers have teamed with TNO’s perovskite solar cell experts to integrate spatial atomic layer deposition equipment to produce ultra-thin, high-quality nickel-oxide hole transport layers in a roll-to-roll process. The team targeting production integration in mid-2027, with full-scale production by 2030.

The equipment with a processing speed of up to 10,800 pcs/h can be used to upgrade existing super multi-busbar (SMBB) and multi-busbar (MBB) equipment made by China-based Wuxi Autowell Technology (ATW). It is suitable for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), heterojunction (HJT), and back-contact (BC) cell technologies.