Nice Solar Energy files for insolvency under self-administration
The CIGS thin-film specialist employs 160 people in Germany. Business operations will continue with no disruption for the time being.
Brazil’s PV module demand reached almost 5 GW in 2020
According to a recent report from Brazilian consultancy Greener, the country imported 4.76 GW last year. Domestic PV module makers had a 3.8% market share with around 190 MW in shipped modules. The analyst also revealed that prices for distributed generation PV systems rose by 20% in 2020.
Tongwei and Jinko plan more wafer and poly production
The two solar companies have signed a strategic agreement to jointly finance new manufacturing facilities, Tongwei announced this morning.
From power to energy rating, for a better choice of PV module
A new report published by the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (IEA PVPS) outlines the need for PV module standards and testing to focus on ‘energy rating’ – an estimate of actual performance in a variety of climate conditions, rather than nominal power output or efficiency. The report finds that the IEC and other standards bodies are already beginning to make encouraging moves in this direction, but more work, and more data, are needed to make the most out of this approach.
GCL-Poly dilutes holding in developer business to raise funds
The poly maker yesterday secured approval from unpaid creditors to restructure the company’s debts and will commit the anticipated $115 million windfall from its shares placement towards its financial commitments.
India eyes 10 GW of ingot-to-module manufacturing capacity within two years
Under a production-linked incentive scheme, the government will reward manufacturers for building vertically integrated PV production lines. The scheme aims to attract 10 GW of production capacity by April 2023.
Indium-free passivated solar cell with 22.4% efficiency
French research institute Liten has built the device with a new cell architecture that combines ultra-thin polycrystalline silicon layers with films of passivated transparent conductive oxide (TCO) contacts.
Mobile laboratory for PV module testing
MBJ Solutions and TÜV Rheinland have jointly developed PV TravelLab, which is purportedly the world’s first portable laboratory for PV module tests. It can be used to assess solar panels at any location in the world.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Increasing wafer prices and new glass and polysilicon orders
Zhonghuan and Longi raised the prices of their wafers before the Chinese New Year holiday. Longi also secured more polysilicon and glass through two different orders, with OCI Group and Flat Glass, respectively.
Mini organic solar module for indoor low-power applications
Under typical indoor illumination of around 500 lux, from light sources such as LED or fluorescent light, the device’s power conversion efficiency is just below 15%. The largest device has an open-circuit voltage of 3.8 V, a short-circuit current of 146 μA, and an output power of 418 μW. The product can also be used in conjunction with capacitors to replace batteries or to prolong their lifetime in low-power applications.
