Nigeria plans 1.2 GW solar module assembly plant
Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency has entered into an agreement with Oando Clean Energy for a 1.2 GW project consisting of an off-grid power plant, mesh electricity generation, interconnected power grid and solar manufacturing power plant. A 600 MW line is scheduled to be rolled out next year.
Autowell Technology unveils 0BB tool for multiple silicon PV module technologies
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.
Experimental system cools PV panels while keeping them clean
Researchers had placed a cotton sheet on the back of a PV module, which was then made wet and cooled. On the front side, water was pumped water from a pipe in a way that kept the panel both cool and clean. Their experimental setup showed superior results compared to reference cooling technologies.
Startup shipping high purity silicon samples from pilot plasma reactor
Sweden’s Green14 is sampling material from its pilot reactor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The pilot has a 100 kW plasma capacity with 5 kg/h of silicon.
Replacing silver in PV manufacturing with new graphene electrode technology
Swiss-British university spinoff, GraphEnergyTech, is developing graphene electrode technology to replace silver and other metals traditionally used in solar cell manufacturing.
Enhancing PV glazing prospects in solar architecture
To make it easier to adopt building integrated PV (BIPV) as a glazing material, a group within the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) has tackled the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) calculation for BIPV. It is part of IEA PVPS Task 15 international standardization efforts.
China’s power reform could boost solar module demand, prices, says S&P Global
Analysis by S&P Global suggests new power pricing measures in China could bring a rush of new installations in the country during the first half of the year and lead to an increase in solar module prices first domestically, then internationally.
AE Solar releases bifacial solar modules for vertical projects
AE Solar has launched bifacial solar modules with 560 W to 580 W of power output, designed for vertical installations and agrivoltaic projects. The German company says the modules offer up to 10% backside power gain.
Aleo Solar to halt production at PV module factory in Germany
Aleo Solar says it will halt production at its solar panel factory in Prenzlau, Germany, affecting 110 employees. The manufacturer is a unit of Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon.
All unmanned ground vehicles for solar plant monitoring at a glance
Scientists in Australia have reviewed 36 mobile inspection robots for ground-mounted PV plants and have identified six commercial ground robots that are systematically used for this task. Their work presents the robots according to different types of locomotion, navigation technologies, communication technologies, and market status.
