Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Polysilicon maker GCL-Poly has started construction of a factory with an annual production capacity of 54,000 MT as Chinese inverter manufacturer Goodwe launched an IPO on the Shanghai stock market.

Researchers in Germany are scaling up efforts to bring perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell technology into industrial scale production. The scientists say manufacturing cells of that kind is possible on widely-available six-inch silicon wafers and modular systems are being designed to do so at scale.

The annual EU PVSEC conference got under way virtually this morning via an online platform since the planned event in Lisbon could not go ahead due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Opening presentations revealed an air of optimism in the PV industry, amid expectations of a rapidly rising share in the energy mix, growing conversion efficiencies, advancing technology pathways and innovative solutions to the problem of integrating high levels of PV into electricity grids.

Chinese researchers have discovered a new hydrothermal method for the direct deposition of antimony sulfide-selenide films. They used ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to regulate the reaction system, giving the film a flat, compact surface morphology. It has an efficiency of 10.5%, an open-circuit voltage of 664 mV, a short-circuit current of 23.8 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 66.3%.

Scientists led by the Technical University of Munich have packed a variety of perovskite and organic solar cells onto a rocket, and sent it into orbit 240 kilometers above the planet’s surface. Their results demonstrate strong potential for such technologies to power satellites and even deep space missions.

Longyuan has revealed plans to build a 350 MW hybrid wind-solar plant in Shandong province. China Resources, meanwhile, said it will build 200 MW of floating solar in Hubei province.

Netherlands based manufacturer Energyra this week introduced a new back contact module, which it has developed in partnership with Dutch research institute TNO and Germany’s ISC Konstanz. A prototype module was unveiled yesterday in a small presentation at Energyra’s factory in Zaandam, Netherlands. The company is targeting large-scale manufacturing by the end of 2020.

The South Korean PV manufacturers is bringing its three most powerful solar panels to Europe. All of them are based on its Q.antum Duo Z tech, which reduces the gaps between cells and drives up module efficiency by 4% in relative terms.

In the fourth and final article of a series, pv magazine editor Pilar Sánchez Molina analyzes with industry experts challenges and opportunities created by new panels with power output exceeding 500 W.

French researchers have developed a machine-learning model to clean low-power PV projects and standalone solar arrays in rural areas isolated from the grid.