Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Decarbon Venture has launched what it claims to be the world’s first “swappable” solar generator at half the weight and double the power rating of other products on the market.

Finnish scientists have tested a new eddy current-based soldering method for ribbon tabbing in solar cells and have found it considerably reduces the number of cracks and damages caused by thermal-mechanical stress in the process. They claim the new technique may already compete with conventional soldering methods in commercial production.

New research from Serbia claims air-polluted urban climatic conditions may not only induce maximum power point (MPP) tracking problems in PV systems but also reduce power yield by up to 30%. The scientists also said that soiling may significantly affect the functionality of single-stage inverters operating in grid-forming mode.

A new study proposes blockchain-based solar passports to address the PV waste management challenge in India. It says such a framework would enable transparent tracking and verification of PV panels throughout their life cycle.

SEG Solar (SEG), a Texas-based module manufacturer, will lease land in Indonesia for 5 GW of solar cell and 3 GW of PV module capacity.

A group of researchers from Utrecht University analyzed offshore floating photovoltaic (OFPV) systems to determine reasons for enhanced performance compared with land-based systems. Out of their research, the team developed two regression models to help predict yield advantages when siting projects.

Germany-based Solar Kapital has used membranes at three of its PV plants in Greece. It claims that the payback time of the new solution is relatively short.

GCL-SI has launched a new 320 W perovskite solar module. The company guarantees that the 10-year end power output will be at least 90% of the nominal output power, which decreases to 80% after 25 years.

Scientists led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have designed panel-like photoreactors relying on a water-splitting photocatalyst that could produce hydrogen on rooftops or dedicated solar farms. They claim the photoreactors have high economic potential because of their ‘extremely’ low costs.

Solar manufacturers have until Aug. 15 to submit PV factory proposals to the German authorities.