Voltec Solar secures funds to make perovskite-silicon tandem modules
Voltec and the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF) plan to set up a pilot line for their new tandem panel tech in 2023 and their first 200 MW industrial demonstrator in 2025. They also plan to increase the factory’s capacity to 1 GW in 2027 and 5 GW by 2030.
Fraunofer ISE, Heckert Solar present Made-in-Germany rooftop solar panel
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) and Heckert Solar have developed a rooftop solar panel in Germany. The 400 W module, featuring M12 half cells, boasts an efficiency of 20.5%. The collaborative effort led to the establishment of a brand-new production line dedicated to this module series.
EU Parliament’s vote on Net-Zero Industry Act prompts mixed reactions
European solar lobby groups have mostly welcomed the European Parliament’s recently supported EU Net-Zero Industry Act, which is aimed at strengthening the region’s renewables manufacturing sector. However, two groups are divided over a clause in the Act that limits tendered project’s from using technology partially made outside Europe.
Swiss startup develops adhesive film to create PV billboards
A Swiss company has developed adhesive film that can be applied on solar panels to make them more aesthetically appealing. The film reduces electricity production by between 10% and 30%, but income from advertising could offset such losses.
Inverted perovskite solar cell achieves 25.1% efficiency via new passivation technique
A group of scientists in the United States has utilized a new passivation strategy based on sulfur-modified methylthio molecules to build an inverted perovskite solar cell with a certified efficiency of 25.1% and remarkable stability. The proposed passivation approach reportedly led to a five-fold increase in carrier lifetime and a three-fold reduction in photoluminescence quantum yield losses.
Inion Software unveils PV plant short-term performance forecasting, diagnostic platform
Inion Software, a Lithuanian PV power plant equipment specialist, has unveiled a platform that combines model-based performance forecasting with plant monitoring functionality. It offers insights based not only on production data, but also weather data, along with site parameters and PV capacity information.
Self-financed solar array destroyed in Lebanese farming village
One of the project architects behind a solar power system in a southern Lebanese village tells pv magazine that the 200-panel array – which pumped water from an underground well for roughly 400 families – was allegedly destroyed earlier this month by Israeli forces. The community needs help rebuilding it, he says.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: January-October PV installations hit 142.5 GW
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says the nation installed 142.5 GW of solar in the first 10 months of this year, bringing it to nearly 540 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity by the end of October.
PERC inventor discusses the future of the technology
University of New South Wales academic Aihua Wang is the first female recipient of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth Prize (QEPrize) for Engineering, after sharing the 2023 award with Andrew Blakers, Martin Green, and her husband Jianhua Zhao for their work developing the passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cell. pv magazine caught up with her to ask about the achievement.
European warehouses to stock 65 GW of excess modules by 2023-end
Research firm EUPD Research says that the European Union’s (EU) solar PV module excess inventory reached 47.2 GW in 2022 and may hit 40 GW in 2023. In a new report provided to pv magazine, the company forecasts the EU may install 60 GW of new PV capacity this year with Chinese solar module imports hitting about 100 GW.
