Maxeon sues REC, Hanwha Qcells for alleged TOPCon patent infringement
Maxeon has filed two different lawsuits in the United States against Hanwha Qcells and REC over claims that the two manufacturers used an unspecified tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology.
South Korea plans 120 GW space solar project
Two Korean research institutes are designing the 2.2 km × 2.7 km Korean Space Solar Power Satellite project with the aim of providing approximately 1 TWh of electricity to the Earth per year. The proposed system should use 4,000 sub-solar arrays of 10 m × 270 m, made out of thin film roll-out, with a system power efficiency of 13.5%.
Sinovoltaics maps out Southeast Asian PV manufacturing sites
The latest supply chain report from the Hong Kong-based technical compliance and quality assurance company covers the Southeast Asia region, providing information about 50 manufacturing sites.
Vsun starts production at wafer facility in Vietnam
Japan-based solar manufacturer Vsun’s new facility produces n-type silicon wafers and is expected to be ready for full production by the end of the month.
German startup planning vertical floating PV plant
Germany-based Sinn Power plans to build a 1.8 MW floating PV system with vertically deployed solar modules. Construction is expected to start this summer.
Solar module prices hovering at all-time lows
As solar module prices continue to fall, pvXchange.com founder Martin Schachinger explains how price pressure could increase in the weeks and months to come.
Photovoltaic water pumping based on open-ended winding induction
Indian scientists have designed a water-pump drive system that is powered exclusively by photovoltaics. The proposed system configuration reportedly ensures effective use of both the solar modules and the motor.
Premier Energies aims to raise over $180 million in IPO
Premier Energies has filed draft papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for an initial public offering (IPO). The company says it will partly use the proceeds to fund 4 GW of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell and module production.
Researchers design tin-germanium-based perovskite solar cell with potential efficiency of 31.49%
Researchers in Malaysia have simulated a mixed cation perovskite solar cell integrating tin and germanium in the absorber. By modulating the perovksite layer thickness, they were able to achieve an efficiency ranging from 24.25 % to 31.49 %
Agrivoltaics for fir trees
German researchers are studying using an overhead solar PV system, designed to be removable and reusable, as a sunshade for young fir trees. The pilot, located at a quartz sand excavation site, will be monitored to compare growth and water consumption with an adjacent unshaded tree plot.
