Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

German organic PV manufacturer Heliatek has announced a new series of lightweight modules. The Heliasol 436-2000-CFE-45-600V panels are IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certified and have a 20-year lifetime warranty.

Modular solar specialist 5B’s pre-assembled and relocatable Maverick solar solution has been unfolded in another off-grid hybrid renewable energy project as the decarbonisation of Australia’s mining sector continues.

An international research group has analyzed the most important barriers preventing antimony trisulfide solar cells from reaching satifsfying power conversion efficiencies and has suggested a series of optimization parameters that could get them closer to commercial production.

The report from kWh Analytics, with input from several industry leaders, identified 14 risks to be aware of in the solar industry, including risks related to extreme weather, such as hail, and operational risks.

French developer Solveo Energies has developed a 247 kW agrivoltaic facility spread across 3,500 m2. The system features trackers controlled by the Cultiveo Dynamique algorithm, to protect an apricot farm in Pyrénées-Orientales, France.

A research group in Canada has optimized the performance of concentrator photovoltaics by using the so-called surface-mount technology for thermal management. The CPV module prototype utilizes four non-interconnected III-V germanium cells, a Fresnel lens, and a transparent glass printed-circuit board.

Wood Mackenzie says that JA Solar has taken first place on its list of solar panel manufacturers. Nine of the first 12 positions are held by Chinese manufacturers, seven of them could surpass 100 GW of capacity by 2027, and eight are self-sufficient in cell capacity, according to the research firm.

Researchers in China have built a tandem-perovskite solar cell with a top perovskite device based on an absorber treated with n-butanol, which reportedly reduces the detrimental effects of moisture in manufacturing processes carried out in air environment. The result is a tandem cell with improved charge collection.

The U.S. International Trade Commission unanimously voted that solar cell manufacturing in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, supported by local incentives, is harming U.S. industry. This decision paves the way for the Commerce Department to finalize its determinations on countervailing duties by July 18 and anti-dumping duties by October 1.

The authorities in the Philippines have inaugurated the country’s largest solar-powered irrigation system, featuring more than 1,000 solar panels and two submersible pumps. The system benefits over 200 farmers and is the first of its kind to be constructed over an irrigation canal, preserving farming land.