Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Researchers from Poland have assessed how texturized glass used as the front cover of building-integrated photovoltaic panels affects performance. They have found power yield could be up to 5% lower compared to modules based on conventional glass, with reflection parameters being up to 88% in visible region.

After conducting theoretical studies on gallium phosphide, titanium solar cells for years, a group of Spanish researchers has now sought to build the first intermediate band device based on this material combination and has found it can achieve enhanced external quantum efficiency at wavelengths above 550 nm.

Martin Schachinger, the founder of pvXchange.com, reports that tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar module prices in Germany have fallen by an average of €0.010 ($0.0109)/W this month. Demand remains especially weak in the residential sector, while complex authorization processes are also challenging the commercial and industrial (C&I) and ground-mounted segments.

JinkoSolar and Trina Solar have separately reported that on-field testing shows tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar modules outperform p-type back-contact PV modules in monthly power generation.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

In a new paper published in nature communications, the Chinese solar manufacturer explained that the heterojunction back contact cell it unveiled in late 2023 achieved one of the highest open-circuit voltage ever reported for this cell technology, as well as smaller than usual short-circuit current losses. The results were confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).

An Australian Research Council funded report co-authored by Sydney-based University of New South Wales and UK-based charity SolarAid says the off-grid solar sector should do more to enhance its product repair initiatives.

JinkoSolar says it has supplied 3 GW of modules for two Acwa Power projects in Saudi Arabia, using its n-type Tiger Neo series 78 and series 66 solar modules.

Scientists in India have analyzed the performance of a bifacial PV module installed on a white-painted ground surface and have found a 30-degree tilt angle outperforms all other inclinations angles in terms of power output.

Developed by scientists in Poland, the new coating uses transparent silicone-epoxy modified with functionalized octaspherosilicates. The researchers have created five samples, each with a different combination of chemicals, and have found that ice adhesion was reduced by up to 43%, with freezing delay time growing by up to 70 times.