Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

New research from Germany outlines mechanisms behind a form of potential-induced degradation specifically affecting the rear side of bifacial solar cells. Results suggest that the issue may be more complex than previously thought; and avoiding irreversible damage to cells in the field will require a rethink of testing standards.

Dany Qian, Vice President of Chinese PV manufacturer JinkoSolar speaks to pv magazine about the 2021 solar market and what’s in store for 2022, including capacity ramp-ups, the replacement of aluminum PV module frames, and a focus on n-type technology, despite continued supply chain challenges.

Canadian Premium Sand has revealed plans to build a solar glass manufacturing facility in the Canadian province of Manitoba.

It may be the best of times, or it’s the worst – it rather depends on who you talk to. Either way, 2021 has not been a dull year in the global solar industry. Polysilicon and commodities prices, shipping costs, tariffs, and energy shortages have all taken turns to give the supply chain a beating, but has it sent PV development off course?

The Hangzhou-based microinverter maker is now listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE).

SEIA responds that a new round of tariffs will hamper U.S. solar development and forestall this administration’s vision of becoming a world leader in clean energy.

Scientists in the United States developed a computer simulator that can calculate the conversion efficiency of different solar cell materials and configurations – helping to guide research and optimization of new cell designs. The simulator is available to researchers as an open-source tool to save time and spot the best opportunities for optimization of any given approach.

Conceived by a Dutch consortium, according to Design for Recycling guidelines, the panel is being developed with two different encapsulants, one for the front of the module, which joins the glass and cells together; and a slightly different formulation for the back of the module, which attaches cells and backsheet together.

An industrial area of the southern region of Occitanie has been identified for the construction of a 2 GW factory. The local development agency is currently seeking potential investors.

Stanford scientists have fabricated a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) solar cell that is claimed to overcome the typical issue of this kind of PV device, the so-called Fermi-level pinning. They used graphene contacts to mitigate this phenomenon and achieved a record power per weight of 4.4 W/g.