Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Researchers in Canada have compared strawberry growth under uniform illumination from semi-transparent thin-film cadmium telluride panels and non-uniform illumination from semi-transparent crystalline silicon modules. Their analysis considered metrics such as fresh weight, height, leaf count, chlorophyll content, soil temperature and humidity.

The second Donald Trump administration has put up roadblocks to clean energy investment but renewable energy analysts say superior technology and its economic benefits will ultimately prevail.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says that the country added 39.47 GW of new solar capacity in January and February, taking total installed PV capacity to 930 GW.

A research group including scientists from U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Underwriter’s Laboratories Inc., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has outlined a new protocol for assessing PV module backsheet degradation in the field. Through the proposed framework, the researchers analyzed PV backsheet degradation across 41 sites, with exposure times ranging from 1 to 38 years.

A research team from two London universities have developed a multi-layer device that addresses the instability of organic materials in water to further their use in direct solar hydrogen generation. Monolithic tandem anodes fabricated by the team reached a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 5%, a record in organic photoelectrochemical device performance. 

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

The European Commission has established three Horizon Europe partnerships to improve technological prowess, industrial strength, and eco-friendly innovation, channeling nearly €1.1 billion ($1.19 billion) by 2030 into photovoltaics, advanced materials, and textiles.

Spain’s Tecnalia and Italy-based Vita International have designed a new photovoltaic guardrail, set for testing later this year on a 100-meter stretch of a highway service area between Turin and Trieste, Italy.

Taiwan-based research firm EnergyTrend says market optimism in China has driven up solar module prices, while production of modules, cells, and wafers has increased month on month.

New research from Germany has investigated for the first time the idea of building a photovoltaic Dyson sphere, a theoretical megastructure that could provide vast amounts of energy for interstellar space travel and large-scale technological endeavors. Despite its highly theoretical and science-fiction inspiration, the study explains what consequences a similar construct would have on life on Earth.