Highlights

Halide perovskites combined with conventional silicon could help solar break the 26% efficiency barrier – disrupting the technology without disrupting business systems.

Australian National University researchers claim to have set a world record for bifacial solar cell efficiency that they say could boost the energy output of solar farms by 30%.

Next Energy and Marubeni are developing a blockchain tech for PV module inspection – with the support of the Japanese government – which they claim is able to provide data on a panel’s traceability and components as well as verifying that the data were not modified or tampered with.

The nation produced 57% more solar cells in the first half of this year than in the same period a year earlier, according to a financial update from state-controlled manufacturer Luoyang Glass.

First Solar has started building a new PV module factory in the U.S. state of Ohio. The $680 million facility is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2023.

An order issued in late June instructed US customs agents to detain solar shipments containing silica-based products sourced from a Chinese firm and its subsidiaries. Three solar players may already have been impacted.

U.K. business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled a new hydrogen strategy aiming at developing both the green and blue forms of the fuel. Furthermore, Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, has said Europe needs to increase its commitment to hydrogen and use nuclear to produce a decarbonized form of the gas.

Furthermore, Zhonghuan Semiconductor’s parent company has reported strong results for its PV business and solar developer Shunfeng has halted trading in its shares.

The new factory should begin production within six months and serve the company’s cell and module assembly factories in Malaysia, as well as the module assembly facility in the United States.

The auction will be officially launched on Tuesday and will also include a quota for small scale projects.