Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Designed by scientists in Germany, the module facade has to be integrated with a building’s technical equipment. The rooms behind the facade can be supplied with solar power and at the same time heated, cooled and ventilated.

Researchers in Singapore have created a flexible framework for designing hotspot-resistant shingled modules. Their work is claimed to be perfectly compatible with existing manufacturing techniques.

GAF Energy manufactures its Timberline solar tiles at a new facility in California. It claims that the Timberline Solar roof system is unique because it directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials.

The energy company will buy panels from JinkoSolar, Risen Energy, Canadian Solar, JA Solar, GCL Integration and Longi. Elsewhere, Xinyi Solar and Golden Solar have both announced new transactions to strengthen their business.

An international research team has tested a holographic film based on prismatic concentrators that was presented by Russian scientists last year and is claimed to significantly reduce the operating temperature of solar modules, including that of thermal-photovoltaic devices. According to the new findings, the film is able to lower the operating temperature by around 3.5 degrees Celsius.

Growatt has been on an upward trajectory, recording an over 60% revenue increase in 2021, despite the many challenges posed in the solar industry. Lisa Zhang, global marketing director tells pv magazine how the Chinese PV inverter manufacturer overcame semiconductor chip shortages and rising costs amidst a global pandemic in addition to discussing key markets and new inverter products.

The Chinese manufacturer has launched two new bifacial products based on its n-type TOPCon 2.0 cell technology. The JW-HD156N panel has a power output of 615W, a front side efficiency of 22% and is intended for utility scale projects. The second product, called JW-HD108N, is an all-black panel with a power rating of 425W, for the residential segment.

Sharply rising PV module prices were one of the most notable developments in global solar markets in 2021. And while it dampened PV installations, with some projects delayed or canceled, the higher prices may point to a future where robust and stable demand leads to more sustainable pricing trends.

Israeli researchers have tested organic PV modules to power polytunnel greenhouses and have found that they might offer advantages over conventional crystalline silicon, despite their lower efficiency rates. They have lower operating temperatures but are subject to degradation, due to the mechanical stress caused by the wind-induced movement of tunnel sheeting.

Scientists in China have developed a cell with an open-circuit voltage of 0.673 V, a short-circuit current of 23.7 mA per cm2, and a fill factor of 66.8%. They improved the quality of the antimony selenosulfide films by using alkali metal fluorides.