Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Tongwei, Longi, and JA Solar have predicted steep losses for the first half of 2025, as persistent oversupply and falling solar module prices continue to pressure margins across China’s PV manufacturing sector.

Copper indium sulfide (CuInS2) are still far from reaching commercial maturity but new titanium dioxide nanorod arrays can reportedly improve their light trapping, charge separation, and carrier collection.

The US Department of Commerce (DoC) says it will investigate the potential for export restrictions by foreign countries, as well as their ability to “weaponize” their control over supplies of polysilicon. 

A European research group has developed a new “empirical” method for measuring the backside irradiance of bifacial PV system. The proposed approach was tested across several European locations and it was found to enable annual performance calculations with a fixed backside irradiance share value.

To evaluate the outdoor performance and stability of perovskite solar cells using contactless and noninvasive methods, an Australian and Chinese research team found a way to use photoluminescence imaging as well as demonstrating a proof of concept for implied open-circuit voltage (iVOC) imaging. Their research relied on cost-effective equipment that operates under direct sunlight.

Wattlab has installed a PV system capable of delivering up to 35 kW to a cargo ship’s high-voltage propulsion system, allowing it to temporarily replace one of four diesel generators under optimal conditions.

Nanyang Technological University researchers have milled solar panel glass waste for use in cathodes used in solid state lithium metal batteries. When used as a functional filler in solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) material, the resulting battery performance was maintained over 80 charge cycles with an 8.3 % improvement over the reference device.

Scientists in india have created a wind-solar system in a tree shape, which combines wind turbines and a PV system with two-axis trackers. The team constructed a hardware-in-the-loop prototype that can generate up to 444.5 Wh per day.

China Railway Construction Corp.’s IT unit has named 10 preliminary winners for its 2025 solar module framework procurement. The 3 GW contract covers n-type monocrystalline bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules, with delivery required within 170 days of signing.

Researchers in Portugal have used the so-called Arrhenius aging model to measure the temperature behaviour and reliability of different solar modules. Their analysis showed that long-term module performance can diverge significantly depending on the manufacturing processes.