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.
With China PV modules reaching record low prices, is there a chance for local PV manufacturing elsewhere?
From the International Solar Energy Society’s perspective, and the vision of a world with 100% renewable energy for everyone used wisely and efficiently, PV module production should not become an oligopoly and should not be concentrated in one corner of the world.
Gallium arsenide solar cell achieves 23.1% efficiency via electrochemical porosification
An international research group has utilized a new porosification technique to build gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells that allow the recovery of germanium films. The new cell achieved an efficiency that is reportedly in line with that of other GaAs PV devices, but can be produced at a lower cost thanks to the reuse of germanium.
Construction begins on 1.2 MW modular PV plant in Australia
Modular PV array manufacturer 5B is deploying its preassembled, relocatable modular solar tech in a solar and battery energy storage project on Bathurst Island, Australia.
U.S. gov releases guidance for clean energy Investment Tax Credit
Section 48 guidance has been released, updating the requirements for the ITC under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Tongwei presents G12 TOPcon solar module series
Tongwei has developed the G12 TOPcon solar module series, with efficiency ratings up to 23.1% and a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per degree Celsius.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: PERC module prices down by 2.68%
EnergyTrend recorded a 1.85% to 2.68% decline in passivation emitter rear contact cell (PERC) solar module prices in China last week.
Scientists achieve 29.9% efficiency for four-junction perovskite-CSI tandem solar cell
Achieved by scientists led by the National University of Singapore, the result is the highest efficiency ever recorded for a perovskite-CIS tandem solar cell at the research level to date. The researchers used methyldiammonium diiodide (MDADI) to reduce open-circuit voltage losses in the top perovskite cell.
Brazil’s oldest PV system turns 26
Prof. Ricardo Rüther, the coordinator of the Strategic Solar Energy Research Group at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), installed a solar energy system at the university 26 years ago. It currently operates at about 80% of its nominal power.
