Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

In our recent webinar, held in partnership with JinkoSolar, on the impact of bifacial modules and modelling their yield under varying environmental conditions and system setups, JinkoSolar’s Andrea Viaro discussed innovations in bifacial module design, and implementing these into a system to positively impact the return on investment. Teun Burgers, a Senior Researcher at ECN.TNO also delved into the simulation of bifacial PV systems, and treated us to a closer look at ECN’s BIGEYE simulation model. Here, the two presenters answer some more of the questions posed by the audience during the webinar.

German headquartered PV manufacturer Aleo Solar has announced plans to introduce the module in the new year. Like many of its rivals, the company is moving to a larger cell size for the new product, which it says will offer up to 333 W output from a 60-cell format.

The Chinese solar manufacturer has delivered its ultra-high efficiency Cheetah 72 modules for 575 MW of capacity that X-Elio is developing in multiple locations across Spain, in addition to roughly 375 MW for two projects in the Mexican cities of Veracruz and Navojoa.

The Japanese chemical company has supplied panels for a PV system on the roof of a 7-Eleven store in Kanagawa prefecture.

The mature renewable energies are the most efficient power resources to slow down global warming and reduce human health impacts, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The authors claim renewable energy generation capacity is also the best way to reduce land use, toxicity and drinking water depletion.

The proposed acquisition of a controlling stake in the heavily-indebted PV project business of solar manufacturer GCL-Poly has fallen through, with state-owned China Hua Neng now proposing to cherry-pick the more attractive assets from the unit’s 7 GW portfolio.

The government has unveiled a plan to help the PV industry reduce the cost of solar panels from around $0.23/W to $0.10/W by 2030. The plan also aims to reach module efficiencies of around 24% – up to 35% for multi-junction cells – by the end of the next decade.

Swedish company Exeger says the dye-sensitized ‘light-harvesting material’ it will produce at its facility will generate enough power to prevent the need to recharge portable electronic devices, lengthening battery lifespan perhaps indefinitely.

GCL and Canadian Solar provide further proof of the solar boom that is gathering pace around the world even as attention focuses on the Chinese market.

The Shanghai solar manufacturer has revealed another set of record-breaking quarterly figures and says it will shift 18-20 GW of modules in 2020, en route to generating revenues of $1.17-1.23 billion.