Technology & Products
Solar technology moves fast, as the industry pursues the joint goals of improving efficiency and lowering costs. From tiny tweaks in battery or solar cell materials, to optimizing large-scale system layouts, solar rewards effective innovations with a quick route to market.
As the industry grows, reliability testing becomes more complex and factors like recycling and critical mineral consumption come into the frame as well.
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New materials in the frame
Solar cells, encapsulants, glass, backsheets, and virtually every PV module component have seen rapid changes and improvements over the past 10 years. During that time, module frames have seen relatively little innovation and remain a simple piece of formed aluminum. However, quality concerns, supply chain diversification, domestic content rules, and emissions reduction requirements have frame manufacturers eyeing alternative materials. And while aluminum isn’t going away, suppliers of steel and glass composite frames argue these materials come with various advantages.
Sep 02, 2026
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New energy products emerge in Southern Africa’s renewables market
The final article in a series on energy markets in Southern Africa explores how the liberalisation of the region’s electricity markets is bringing a shift from purely selling variable electricity towards products that are tailored to specific customer and system needs.
Alpitronic unveils 1 MW EV charging system
Italian charging infrastructure manufacturer Alpitronic has developed a 1 MW distributed DC charging system capable of serving up to eight electric vehicles simultaneously. At a demonstration in Berlin, the system delivered more than 600 kW to the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé.
Scientists turn end-of-life PV silicon into high-value silicon nitride
South Korean researchers have developed a method to upcycle silicon recovered from end-of-life PV modules into high-value silicon nitride (Si₃N₄). The process achieved recycled silicon purity of 99.95% through optimized milling, acid etching, and sedimentation before nitridation.
Skyven Technologies’ industrial heat pump achieves COP of 8.0
The milestone builds on the demonstration centre’s coefficient of performance (COP) of 6.5 at the time of commissioning last November. The company told pv magazine the result is particularly important for European manufacturers as they can pay up to four times more for steam than those in the US.
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All Technology & Products news
New energy products emerge in Southern Africa’s renewables market
The final article in a series on energy markets in Southern Africa explores how the liberalisation of the region’s electricity markets is bringing a shift from purely selling variable electricity towards products that are tailored to specific customer and system needs.
Alpitronic unveils 1 MW EV charging system
Italian charging infrastructure manufacturer Alpitronic has developed a 1 MW distributed DC charging system capable of serving up to eight electric vehicles simultaneously. At a demonstration in Berlin, the system delivered more than 600 kW to the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé.
Advertisement
Scientists turn end-of-life PV silicon into high-value silicon nitride
South Korean researchers have developed a method to upcycle silicon recovered from end-of-life PV modules into high-value silicon nitride (Si₃N₄). The process achieved recycled silicon purity of 99.95% through optimized milling, acid etching, and sedimentation before nitridation.
Skyven Technologies’ industrial heat pump achieves COP of 8.0
The milestone builds on the demonstration centre’s coefficient of performance (COP) of 6.5 at the time of commissioning last November. The company told pv magazine the result is particularly important for European manufacturers as they can pay up to four times more for steam than those in the US.
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New materials in the frame
Solar cells, encapsulants, glass, backsheets, and virtually every PV module component have seen rapid changes and improvements over the past 10 years. During that time, module frames have seen relatively little innovation and remain a simple piece of formed aluminum. However, quality concerns, supply chain diversification, domestic content rules, and emissions reduction requirements have frame manufacturers eyeing alternative materials. And while aluminum isn’t going away, suppliers of steel and glass composite frames argue these materials come with various advantages.
Clivet launches VRF air-to-air heat pumps with inverter-free PV integration
Clivet’s CVT9 VRF range offers 25.2–45 kW per module and up to 90 kW in two-module configurations. The system reportedly delivers SEER up to 8.58 and SCOP up to 4.93.
Integrated PV management enables direct 400–600 V DC solar input without a conventional PV inverter,
ATW unveils screen-printing solution for copper-metallized solar cell
China’s Wuxi Autowell Technology has launched screen-printing equipment for copper and silver-coated copper pastes targeting TOPCon, back-contact, and next-generation solar cells. The product line includes cell-printing and print-on-print systems, as well as a curing furnace designed to prevent copper oxidation.
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