Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The Taiwanese manufacturer said it has sold its Jhunan Kebei plant to a Taiwan-based maker of masks for semiconductor production. However, it will increase capacity at its manufacturing facility in Tainan by up to 200 MW in the third quarter.

Scientists in the United Kingdom have investigated the formation of cracks in PV cells, confirming that the high temperatures cells are exposed to during soldering for interconnection are a leading cause of cracking. Their findings will aid future research into module reliability and predictions of how cracks are likely to form.

Two module manufacturers, Systovi and Voltec Solar, plan to join forces to create a bigger player in the French solar manufacturing space.

The system can metallize the front and back sides of silicon solar cells with unprecedented precision and speed, Fraunhofer ISE said. The technology is also suitable for components such as printed circuit boards or chip cards.

Results from PID stress tests can be misleading when bifacial PV modules are PID-stressed from just one side using the foil method in IEC TS 62804, according to a new study by Belgian researchers. An unintended electric field arises between the non-stressed side of the cell and the grounded interior of the climate chamber, which may have the undesired effect of causing additional PID stress.

Researchers have created a device to produce electricity and steam at the same time. The system is said to offer 85.1% efficiency and deliver steam at up to 248 degrees Celsius. The converter combines III–V, triple-junction solar cells and a high-efficiency solar thermal system based on parabolic trough collectors.

EVA films are a key barrier to solar module recycling because of the glues involved in their use. An EU-funded research project is aiming to address the issue, among others, with a circular manufacturing approach. pv magazine spoke to two of the professionals involved in the EU-backed Cabriss project.

Danish researchers have shown that adding 250 W solar panels to all of the buggies in a 50-cart fleet is a profitable investment. With an upfront investment of around €75,000, annual benefits of around €15,000 are possible, they claim.

The court responsible for appointing an administrator to restructure the debt-laden Chinese business has rolled all six units into one administration, according to an SEC filing made today.

A prototype of an energy-harvesting, solar-powered smart window device has been developed by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. The window was created by integrating a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell and a multi-layer nanophotonic coating.