Solar module installations could hit 592 GW in 2024
BloombergNEF says the global solar industry will install 592 GW of modules this year, up 33% on 2023. The consultancy has also lowered its estimate for 2024 polysilicon production, as manufacturers are temporarily scaling back output.
Japanese researchers test 15%-efficient perovskite solar module for agrivoltaics
Japan’s Sekisui Chemical launched an agrivoltaics project in partnership with Terra, a unit of Japan-based Citizen Energy Chiba, to test the peformance of its perovskite solar cell technology and the effect of the PV system on plants.
All-perovskite tandem solar cell based on tin-lead perovskite achieves 28.8% efficiency
Conceived by Chinese scientists, the cell was built with new surface reconstruction strategy based on the use of 1,4-butanediamine (BDA) and ethylenediammonium diiodide (EDAI2) as surface modifiers. The device was able to retain 79.7% of its initial efficiency after 550 h.
PV-driven drip irrigation system with compressed air storage
The proposed system uses compressed air to store energy, as well as for the prevention of clogging in the irrigation tubes. Two experimental systems were built and tested in China and clogging was reduced by up to 93%.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi, TCL Zhonghuan raise silicon wafer prices
Longi has raised silicon wafer prices to CNY 1.15 ($0.16) for N-G10L wafers and CNY 1.30 for N-G12R wafers, while TCL Zhonghuan has increased its prices to CNY 1.15 for G10N wafers, CNY 1.30 for G12RN wafers, and CNY 1.50 for G12N wafers.
New coating prevents plant growth on underwater solar cells
The US Navy has funded Danish research on preventing biofouling while maintaining visible light transmission on underwater solar cells. The top solution uses ultra-low concentrations of nano-sized, seawater-soluble pigments. Power generation stayed close to 100% after 13 weeks underwater.
Lightweight mobility with vehicle-integrated photovoltaics
A European consortium of commercial and research groups is developing lighter weight, solar-powered, cost-conscious, three and four-wheel prototype vehicles for passengers and cargo. The $13.4 million project aims for a platform that has standardized components, including the battery, powertrain, and solar PV parts, as well as support for end-of-life, maintenance, and refurbishment.
Tindo Solar, Capral to team up in Australian solar panel supply chain
Australian solar panel manufacturer Tindo Solar has revealed the first link in a domestic downstream supply chain that is to support a planned sixfold increase in its annual output, via a supply arrangement with Capral Aluminium.
New process to recover silver from end-of-life solar cells achieves 98% efficiency
Scientists have used hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processes to recover pure silver from solar cells. The proposed technique also utilizes a method known as electrodeposition-redox replacement, which reportedly increases the silver recovery rate.
Scientists design dichalcogenide solar cells based on tungsten diselenide
The researchers outlined a “scalable” manufacturing process that reportedly results in a tungsten diselenide film with an efficiency of up to 22.3%. The proposed technique could facilitate the mass production of high-efficiency multilayer WSe2 solar cells at low cost.
