Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Scientists have proposed to use PV energy and heat pump-driven HVAC system in greenhouses conceived to grow tomatoes in the Mediterranean area. The system was found to have a payback time of only 2.9 years in southern Spain.

Scientists from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have conceived a new experimental setup to conduct hail impact tests for photovoltaic modules. The first tests showed that monocrystalline panels lose less efficiency than their polycrystalline counterparts with the same number of busbars.

Scientists in Japan have fabricated an inverted pervoskite cell with a new bond/charge regulated defect passivation technique consisting of introducing bifunctional molecules onto the perovskite absorber. The device exhibited a low open circuit voltage deficit and remarkable stability.

PV systems, surpassing minimum load demands in various regions, necessitate innovative grid integration measures. Active power management (APM), notably curtailment, emerges as a powerful solution here. By actively managing power peaks, PV systems can unlock new possibilities, contribute to grid stability, and enhance their overall value. The new IEA-PVPS Task 14 report encourages a shift in perspective, urging DSOs to explore the potential of APM instead of traditional grid expansion methods.

A group of researchers from the University of Lisboa and the Military Academy reported on the viability of agrivoltaics in Portugal. It found that spaced rows of PV modules combined with shadow-friendly crops had the most promising return and a payback period of less than five years.

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.

REC Advanced Silicon Material LLC is shutting down one of its two polysilicon production facilities in the United States. It says the decision is primarily due to regional structural imbalances in supply and demand for electricity.

Feedgy’s new modules feature 96 heterojunction (HJT) cells and are available in five power ratings, from 300 Wp to 320 Wp, with a transparency of 39%. The panels can be used for gardening, arboriculture and floriculture.

The PairTree off-grid solar charging system for electric vehicles (EVs) combines bifacial solar panels ranging from 4.6 kW to 5 kW, a 42.4 kWh capacity storage system, and one or two AC “Level 2” EV chargers.

The rebound effect consists of a reduction in expected gains from a more resource-efficient technology as a result of behavioral or systemic change. An international research team has investigated this phenomenon in the residential PV segment in Vietnam and has found that it could happen in any country where the policy supporting solar power is not fully and scientifically explained.