Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

A study by the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems finds that deploying color-matching solar modules on a building’s roof or facade further increases social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has set a world record for power conversion efficiency at 20.6% for large-area perovskite solar cells exceeding 200 cm². The result, confirmed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE), marks a significant milestone in solar cell technology.

An international research team has created a digital twin that purportedly enables analysis of different scenarios on PV plants’ aerial monitoring. The new tool is claimed to reduce the risk associated with real-world experimentation and help identify the most effective strategies to improve PV system monitoring.

Japanese scientists have developed a wide-bandgap chalcopyrite solar cell that can reportedly achieve high open-circuit voltage and fill factor values. The device is intended for use in top cell applications in tandem devices.

Solar module prices reached a new low this week, says Leen van Bellen, business development manager Europe for Search4Solar, a European purchasing and selling platform for solar products. He tells pv magazine that prices will remain low in the short term.

The Silver Institute and Metals Focus says global silver demand in 2024 will largely grow due to gains from green economy applications, especially the PV sector. It expects the global silver market to show a physical deficit of around 182 million ounces in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of shortfall.

Chinese manufacturer UtmoLight has developed a 450 W perovskite solar module with a 16.1% efficiency rating. It claims that the panel is currently the largest perovskite PV module available.

Conceived by Spanish scientists, the cpvlib framework is configured as a modular tool that can accurately predict the energy production of various CPV configurations. It can reportedly analyze complex behaviors like air mass impact on CPV performance, angle of incidence limits, and light spillage.

Scientists in Sweden have conducted a comprehensive review of all wavelength-selective PV technologies for agrivoltaic installations. They suggested creating standards for reporting on the performance of these technologies.

China Huaneng has kicked off a 15 GW solar panel procurement round, drawing participation from China’s largest PV module manufacturers.