‘Module prices surprisingly keep going down’
As part of our Intersolar 2024 interview series, pv magazine spoke with Yana Hryshko, head of Solar Supply Chain Research for Wood Mackenzie, about overcapacity, declining panel prices and expected PV demand for the next years. She revealed that Chinese module procurement schemes are currently seeing unprecedented, “ridiculously” low bids, but she also noted that the $0.08/W threshold may now be difficult to exceed. Hryshko also expects many manufacturers to backpedal on previously announced capacity expansion plans and renegotiate module supply contracts.
First attempt to build inverted perovskite solar cell based on nickel oxides delivers 20.06% efficiency
Scientists in Colombia have proposed to develop inverted perovskite solar cells with a hole transport layer based on indium-doped nickel oxide. The result is a champion device achieving an efficiency of 20.06% and showing remarkable stability.
Chinese solar cell maker to build 10 GW factory in Oman
Chinese solar cell maker Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology plans to build a 10 GW factory in Oman to produce tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells.
Waaree Energies secures 412 MW solar module order
Waaree Energies says it has obtained a contract to supply its p-type bifacial solar modules for a 412.5 MW project that Acciona Energy is developing in Rajasthan, India.
Rooftop PV reduces building retrofitting costs by up to 50%
Cambridge researchers have analyzed the benefits of installing a PV system on the roof of an apartment building in addition to energy refurbishment and have found that photovoltaics, especially if combined with heat pumps, makes retrofit projects more affordable.
RETC releases 2024 PV Module Index
Solar modules are evaluated in the Renewable Energy Test Center annual PV Module Index.
‘They are all selling below their cost prices’
In the second interview in a series held at Intersolar 2024, pv magazine spoke with Karen Tang, editorial director for Europe at US-based global energy price reporting agency OPIS, about the strong pressure on prices across all segments, including the downstream business. She defined the current market situation as “unhealthy” and “bleak” for the PV industry, although she acknowledged that overcapacity is also making solar extremely competitive compared to all other energy sources. Tang also expects pressure on electricity and gas prices to continue this year.
‘In the next year, some of these guys are going to be bankrupt’
At Intersolar in Munich, pv magazine spoke with Jenny Chase, solar analyst at BloombergNEF, about the incredibly low polysilicon prices, massive overcapacity, and increasing consolidation. According to Chase, this year there will be enough polysilicon capacity to produce 1.1 TW of solar modules, but global module demand is expected to reach around 585 GW. “That is a pretty huge delta,” she said, noting that the solar industry should also prepare for a series of “negative feedback mechanisms,” such as negative prices and excess of solar power.
Low prices for TOPCon solar panels put pressure on PERC
In May 2024, high-efficiency panels, predominantly glass-glass modules equipped with tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells began to converge on price with mainstream offerings, writes Martin Schachinger, of pvXchange. Production volumes for these negatively-doped, “n-type” cells and modules have been ramped up in China while the increasingly restrictive customs situation in the United States may already be having an impact. For the European market, ever-lower prices for the latest module technology would suggest that demand would continue to rise were it not for a number of disruptive factors.
Reducing PV module temperature with cooled air from the ground
Researchers from Iraq have used computational fluid dynamics to simulate the operation of a 100 W panel with ground cooling. The proposed technique was reportedly able to reduce panel temperature by up to 28%, with power generation increasing by up to 6.5%.
