Wacker to expand silicon metal production in Norway
Polysilicon manufacturer Wacker has launched a feasibility study for its expansion plans in Norway. It said its production capacity in the village of Holla could increase by 50% by 2025.
Q Cells confirms location of next US solar panel factory
South Korea-based Q Cells will invest $171 million in a new factory in Dalton, Georgia, creating nearly 500 new jobs.
Analyst predicts extent of rise in this year’s solar capital costs
Wood Mackenzie this week made a slew of predictions for the industry in 2022 and noted the effects the US’ recently announced anti-circumvention investigation is already having on utility scale plans.
Multifaceted ferrocene interlayer for 23.45%-efficient perovskite solar cell
The cell stability was improved with the addition of ferrocene at the perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD interface. It was able to retain around 70% of its initial efficiency after 1,250 hours.
Risen launches 450 W rooftop solar module with 21.7% efficiency
The panel measures 1,894 mm x 1,096 mm x 30 mm, weighs in at 22.5 kg, and has a temperature coefficient of -0.34% per C.
Cutting out cadmium for a 16.7%-efficient flexible thin-film solar cell
Scientists in Japan have developed new processes for CIGS solar cell manufacturing, entirely eliminating the use of cadmium and replacing a waste-intensive wet chemical stage. With a thin film deposited on a flexible steel substrate, the group achieved 16.7% efficiency, which it says is a record for a cell of this type produced using scalable fabrication processes.
Tuning out the defects for more powerful perovskite solar cells
Scientists in the UK and Japan used the latest imaging techniques to observe the inner workings of a perovskite solar cell at the scale of a few nanometers. Their findings suggest that a single defect is responsible for both limiting initial performance and causing degradation of the cell. By altering chemical compositions and process parameters, the appearance of this defect can be quickly reduced, and the group is confident that its finding could quickly be applied in large-scale processing as well.
JA Solar introduces n-type solar panel with 22.4% efficiency
JA Solar said that the smallest solar panel in its new n-type product line has a power output of 435 W and a power conversion efficiency of 22.3%. The largest module in the series has an efficiency rating of 22.4% and 625 W of nominal power. Their temperature coefficient is -0.30% per degree Celsius.
Canadian Solar plans to ramp up production capacity
Having warned of in-house solar wafer and cell capacity as recently as the third quarter of 2021, the company has announced it will be adding even more production lines this year.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Geely opens polysilicon plant
Automaker Geely has commissioned a new polysilicon factory in northern China, while ET Solar has opened a new 5 GW wafer factory in Vietnam. Poly giant GCL Technology, meanwhile, has confirmed that its board might issue common stock for a Chinese listing.
