Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The new machine is claimed to be suitable for the production of all kinds of PV module technologies currently available on the market.

Two testing facilities for photovoltaic noise barriers are being built by a Belgian consortium. Their creators want to assess different PV technologies, reduce costs and plan large scale projects in Belgium, where land and policy constraints make the construction of ground-mounted PV plants almost impossible.

The bifacial panel has a power output of up to 485 W and an efficiency of up to 21%. It relies on a transparent backsheet and is encapsulated with polyolefin elastomer (POE).

Kent Kernahan has set out to take the heat out of solar cells. He and his partners may end up bringing solar manufacturing jobs to disadvantaged communities, while making low-cost rooftop solar more widely available.

Singapore-based solar manufacturer Maxeon has unveiled the new Performance 3 AC panel, the latest addition to its AC range.

Scientists in Switzerland discovered that certain types of phosphate salt react with lead only in the presence of moisture, to form non-water-soluble phosphates. Incorporating these salts into the architecture of a lead-based perovskite solar cell could greatly reduce the risk of lead seeping into the environment should the cells be damaged, without incurring significant costs or negatively affecting the cell’s performance.

Preliminary results were published for Solargiga, Zhonghuan Semiconductor, GCL System Integration, JYT Corporation and Akcome Tech.

The cell was used to build two perovskite solar modules with a size of 5x5cm and 10x10cm, respectively, and with efficiencies of 15.62% and 11.80%.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released $20 million in funding to solicit participation in a consortium of leaders, organized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, that will focus on thin-film cadmium telluride module development.

Site negotiations are underway for the facility, which would produce monocrystalline facial and bifacial modules for C&I and utility-scale markets in the United States and abroad.