Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

An Oxford researcher has found that transparent conducting electrodes can reduce perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell efficiency by over 2%, with losses linked to electrical resistance, optical effects, and geometric trade-offs. Using a unified optical–electrical model, the scientist showed how careful optimization of TCE stacks, coatings, and cell design is critical to closing the gap toward the 37%–38% efficiency frontier.

The 200 square meter facility is targeting an annual manufacturing capacity of 2 GW of solar cells and 2 GW of solar modules. The solar cell production will be 100% for export.

France-based startup Carbon plans to partner with Chinese manufacturer Longi and adopt back-contact (BC) solar technology as it revises its roadmap for a gigawatt-scale solar module factory.

Italy’s Ecoprogetti has delivered a 400 MW fully automated solar module production line in Oman. The facility is the company’s second in the country, which it says equates to a majority share of Oman’s module manufacturing market.

France’s certification body says it has withdrawn eligibility for a lower solar VAT rate from four Chinese-made modules after finding traceability errors that altered their carbon footprint calculations.

U.S-headquartered SEG Solar is constructing a 3 GW ingot and wafer factory in Indonesia. The new production is located at its existing cell manufacturing facility, completing an end-to-end solar manufacturing chain for the company.

UNSW and Jolywood studied the thermal stability of laser-assisted fired TOPCon solar cells during module fabrication and high-temperature stress, identifying hydrogen-related defect dynamics as the key factor behind degradation and recovery. They found lamination causes temporary efficiency losses that self-recover under light exposure, while optimized LAF can restore degraded contacts, providing practical guidance for reliable module manufacturing and testing.

Gokin has launched back-contact solar modules ranging from 480 W to 780 W for residential, C&I and utility-scale projects. The series supports 1,500 V systems and reaches efficiencies of up to 24.8%.

Maxeon has filed a lawsuit in Germany claiming Aiko Solar, and four of its German product distributors, breached a patent related to its back contact solar technology. It is the third such lawsuit Maxeon has opened against Aiko.

China’s Juhang Energy Technology met with representatives from Pakistan’s Board of Investment to discuss implementation of a solar panel manufacturing facility in Pakistan, aimed at both domestic demand and potential exports.