Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

In a short chat with pv magazine, Mohamed Saady Dweik, the head of technical services and product management for the MENA region at JinkoSolar, spoke about the potential of TOPCon tech in the Middle East and North Africa region. According to him, the global demand for TOPCon products may exceed that of PERC panels within three years.

The new product is mainly intended for use in commercial and industrial solar projects. It has a size of less than 2m² and features a short-circuit current below 15A.

Recent BloombergNEF research shows that corporations procured a record 31GW of renewable energy in 2021, and LevelTen Energy says that growth occurred despite more than a year of price increases.

Hoshine will invest $2.75 billion in the new polysilicon factory. Elsewhere, Irico New Energy today announced a strategic co-operation agreement with PV manufacturer Jinko Solar that will see it prioritize supply of solar panel glass.

The Q Peak Duo XL-G10 panel series is based on monocrystalline ‘Qantum’ half cells and is the company’s first panel relying on M6 wafers.

TOPCon solar modules will gain more market share if their average efficiency, already higher than that of PERC panels, continues to improve, according to Stefan Glunz, PV research chief at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. In an upcoming pv magazine webinar on the potential of TOPCon tech, Glunz will show how to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Scientists in Spain have fabricated a silver bismuth sulfide (AgBiS₂) material with an absorption coefficient that is claimed to be 5-10 times greater than any other material currently used for PV technology. A cell built with these nanocrystals showed a power conversion efficiency of 9.17%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.495V, a short-circuit current of 26.75mA/cm², and a fill factor of 63%.

French start-up Rosi Solar has developed an industrial solution claimed to be capable of recovering high purity silicon, silver and copper contained in end-of-life PV modules. The company’s technology is based on a pyrolysis process that makes it possible to isolate the different metals from the cells.

The solar panel glass manufacturer expects strong growth in demand for its products at home and abroad with a significant rise expected in the production of PV modules in the USA and Europe.

Trina Solar, the pioneer of 210mm large format high power PV modules, speaks to pv magazine about its strategy for their deployment. Dr. Zhang Yingbin, Trina Solar’s head of product strategy and marketing, discusses the business solutions Trina provided for its new products, while Todd Li, President of Trina Solar Asia Pacific, shares his views on the PV markets in the Asia-Pacific region.