Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Scientists have developed a technique for producing AZO and i-ZnO/AZO bilayer structures in solar cells that greatly improves cell efficiency and durability. Using a low power deposition method that avoids raising the substrate temperature, the team achieved a power conversion efficiency of 9.53% with good transmittance.

Huang Haiyan, chief sustainability officer for Astronergy, spoke with pv magazine at the recent SNEC trade show in Shanghai about the company’s new TOPCon PV module line and its broader expansion plans.

A research group in Finland has created a new workflow to prevent voltage rises in bifacial vertical PV systems located at high latitudes. According to their findings, vertical bifacial PV may have a 46% higher power yield compared to monofacial conventional counterparts in the Nordics, while also having an improved temporal match between PV generation and consumption.

Tubesolar, which specializes in the development and production of photovoltaic thin-film tubes for agrivoltaic applications, has filed for insolvency in Germany. It currently employs around 140 people.

Toyota says it will combine EneCoat’s perovskite solar cells and its own in-vehicle technologies for solar panels. Enecoat has developed a perovskite module conversion efficiency of 19.4%.

In May 2022, PV experts from around the world convened in Germany for the third Terawatt Workshop. Almost one year later, takeaways from discussions at the workshop – combined with a wide-ranging review of research on decarbonization pathways, energy demand projections, and the state of the art in PV technology – led to the conclusion that 75 TW of installed solar capacity by 2050 was a realistic global target. More than 50 leading PV industry figures recently outlined the opportunity and the challenges that solar will face in reaching this goal.

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association said this week that wafer prices dropped by up to 5.6% compared to a week earlier. Wafer manufacturer Longi, meanwhile, said that the price downward trend reached the bottom in late June, with demand now beginning to grow.

The Dutch cabinet said it will support solar factories that will produce panels with a circular economy approach. It also allocated €296 million to support battery manufacturing.

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.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a time-motion study and found that retrofitting roof-integrated PV requires 7% less labor than standard solar installations. For new builds, installation times fall by 44%.