India’s solar cell imports rise as domestic module production expands
The nation imported solar cells worth more than $633 million from April to the end of last year, a figure higher than the value imported during the whole of the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Hanwha Q Cells, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin claim 28.7% efficiency for 2T perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell
The Korean manufacturer and the German research center were able to improve the performance of their jointly developed tandem solar cell by almost one percentage point.
Terahertz, microwave spectroscopy for more accurate PC cell assessments
A German research group has used spectroscopic methods based on terahertz or microwave radiation and has discovered that they might help with more precise assessments of the characteristics and performance of solar cells. Their proposed approach purportedly enables the evaluation of maximum possible efficiency levels for emerging materials such as perovskites in solar cells.
Spectrum splitters to raise efficiency of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells
Researchers in Canada have conducted a series of simulations to understand how spectrum splitters may raise the efficiency of two-terminal tandem solar cells and have found that efficiency gains may be of up to 6%. The proposed cell configuration was also found to be economically competitive.
Hybridizing PV, redox flow batteries and geothermal heat pumps
A Spanish consortium is equipping one of Madrid’s largest metro and bus stations with a hybrid system that combines PV, geothermal pumps, and vanadium redox flow batteries to provide cooling and heating.
Mitrex releases solar brick for BIPV facades
Mitrex solar facades are being installed on a 7000 square feet area on a building in Canada, producing an estimated 90,000 kWh of power annually.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: More glass capacity and a 5GW module factory under construction
Glass maker Flat Glass wants to add 7,200 MT of new glass capacity spread across six new production lines and panel manufacturer Eging PV started construction of a new PV panel factory with an annual capacity of 5 GW.
Swiss manufacturer unveils 500W solar module with 23.2% efficiency
Megasol said the solar module relies on new back-contact technology that is able to reduce internal resistance, ohmic losses and cell spacing.
P-type vs n-type poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts
Researchers in Australia have compared the firing resistance of p-type and n-type poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts and found that the former have better resistance to hydrogen diffusivity and higher passivation quality after firing.
French start-up aims to set up 5GW PV module factory
Thanks to a funding round that will be carried out by the end of the year, French start-up Carbon aims to open its first production site in France in 2025. pv magazine spoke with Pascal Richard, one of its founders, about the timeline for the project.
