Hanwha Q Cells unveils plan to produce perovskite, TOPCon solar modules
The $1.28 billion plan includes a 3.1 GW production capacity expansion in South Korea, where the company’s solar module capacity will reach 7.6 GW by 2025.
The world’s first large scale hybrid hydro-floating solar power plant
A Norwegian consortium led by Scatec is planning to build a hybrid hydropower-floating PV plant at an unspecified location in West Africa. Building both facilities simultaneously will help its developers define a series of parameters for proper sizing, optimization and design, and set a benchmark for future projects of this kind.
The weekend read: Will Lebanon’s solar rise?
A year after a sudden explosion in Beirut killed more than 200 people, destroying solar installations in the port and sending the country into a complete downfall, a question emerges: Can Lebanon use this experience to set its economy on a new sustainable pathway, supported by a viable energy sector? Solar energy offers some lessons.
Co-evaporated perovskite solar cell with 20.6% efficiency
Researchers in Singapore have built what they claim is the industry’s most efficient, large-area co-evaporated solar cell. According to their findings, the device has exhibited remarkable thermal stability and could reach commercial maturity within the next few years.
Australian startup sets 25.54% efficiency record for silicon cell
SunDrive said it has created the most effective commercial-sized silicon solar cell in the world, achieving an efficiency figure of 25.54% in testing carried out by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).
Toshiba claims 15.1% efficiency for polymer film-based large-area perovskite solar module
The result is claimed to be the highest efficiency ever reached for a large-area, polymer film-based perovskite photovoltaic module. The device has an area of 703 square centimeters and was fabricated through a new coating method.
EU to start auctioning green bonds next month
An independent third-party has approved the European Commission’s safeguards to ensure the projects in member states financed by €250 billion of green bonds over the next five years, will have genuine emission reduction credentials.
Brazil may add another 20 GW of distributed solar by 2030, government agency says
The Latin American country may see unprecedented growth for PV systems not exceeding 5 MW in size during this decade, according to Brazil’s state-run Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica (EPE) agency. New rules now under discussion in the parliament may further boost this market segment and lead, eventually, to another 30 GW of installed solar power.
JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Longi reach consensus on 182mm module standardization
The three Chinese panel manufacturers found an agreement on the module size and the mounting hole spacing.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles to enter Australian market
Startup H2X is banking on bringing automotive manufacturing back to Australia with hydrogen. After it unveiled its Warrego pickup truck last week, pv magazine Australia caught up with the company’s corporate affairs specialist, Tony Blackie.
