Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

British scientists have developed an experimental compressed air system for the simultaneous cleaning and cooling of PV modules. The system was built with a compressed-air unit which was made of a compressor, an air tank, and an airflow regulation valve, and a series of nozzles. The technique was tested on a PV system located in northwestern India.

Dutch scientists claim to have developed a theory that explains the mechanisms behind halide segregation, which is the main factor affecting thermal stability in perovskite solar cells. They affirmed that the theory may provide technical solutions to build more stable perovskite PV devices.

Australia’s Smart Energy Council says that its new verification scheme for green hydrogen is gaining international traction.

Large-format PV modules are a key development in solar technology and advocates say their emergence has the potential to be one of the most significant innovations the industry has ever seen. But many people remain unconvinced that bigger is actually better.

China-based wind turbine manufacturer Mingyang Smart Energy wants to build a heterojunction module factory with a capacity of 5 GW. Both Longi and Tongwei have raised the prices of their wafers and cells, respectively.

New research from Australia has shown that singlet fission solar cells do not only have the potential to raise the theoretical efficiency of the PV technology to unexpected levels but also to provide a better temperature behavior and longer duration compared to conventional PV devices. The scientists believe that this technique may help conventional crystalline silicon solar cell technologies reach efficiencies close to 30%.

The polysilicon manufacturer has once again rejected allegations of forced labor by opening the doors of its factory in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to international investors and journalists. Video footage of the event was published by the company on its website.

Developed by a French-Canadian research group, the triple-junction cell is based on indium gallium phosphide (InGaP), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) and germanium (Ge) and has an active area of only 0.089 mm2. It can be used for applications in micro-concentrator photovoltaics (CPV).

It’s claimed the decentralized desalination system can deliver a levelized cost for desalinated water of US$0.7-4.3/m3, depending on PV costs and electricity prices. It was built with several concentrated photovoltaic/thermal (CPV-T) collectors, a hot water tank, a V-MEMD module, a seawater feed tank, and a distillate tank.

India is targeting 280 GW of solar by 2030, of which 240 GW has yet to be built, but India Ratings says the country’s production-linked incentives will only cover up to 13% of future deployments.