Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Bert Thin Films has developed a copper paste for solar cell manufacturing that keeps the copper from oxidizing during the air-firing process while at the same time avoiding it to make direct contact with the silicon. The new product can be used in existing production lines and with different cell configurations.

New research from Germany has shown how improving top-cell transparency and performance remains key to the commercialization of tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells, as well as for all other types of tandem devices. The analysis demonstrated, in particular, that the top cell must achieve higher single-cell efficiency to compensate for reduced transparency.

Polysilicon prices fell again this week amid weak market activity and elevated inventories, according to industry sources. Downstream wafer, cell, and module prices also continued to slide, with modules now trading as low as CNY 0.68 ($0.09)/W.

Swiss startup Sun-Ways says it has activated what it calls the world’s first removable solar plant on active rail tracks, with passenger trains set to run over the 18 kW installation from April 28.

The Portuguese company said its new anti-soiling solution lasts for at least a year. It can be applied during routine cleaning operations by mixing it directly in the cleaning water.

Scientists have developed a system that harvests rainwater running off PV panels for household use or hydrogen production. Their analysis showed that, in the southern Sahel, the system can meet both the energy and water requirements for electrolysis, with surplus rainwater covering up to 50% of a household’s daily water demand.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, reports that prevailing pessimism in the global polysilicon market continues to intensify, with current conditions still favoring buyers to a certain extent, allowing them to retain a degree of leverage in negotiations.

India’s Solex Energy has started working on its new 2 GW n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell factory, with operations set to begin in early 2027.

The tandem device is based on a bottom thin-film heterojunction cell that can bend and a top perovskite cell that can be manufactured with a low-temperature process to prevent damage. It achieved the highest efficiency ever recorded to date for a flexible perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

Chinese manufacturer Das Solar says it will open its first European PV panel assembly plant in Mandeure, eastern France, by the end of 2025.