Phono launches 475 W back-contact solar panel
Chinese manufacturer Phono has launched a new bifacial solar panel in the Australian market featuring an output of 475 W and a power conversion efficiency of 23.27%.
World’s largest foldable rooftop PV system comes online in Switzerland
A wastewater treatment plant in the canton of Bern has been inaugurated with what dhp Technology claims is the world’s largest foldable rooftop solar installation to date. The 3.6 MW array spans several treatment basins, allowing the existing site to serve dual purposes: wastewater treatment at ground level and solar power generation overhead.
TCL Zhonghuan unveils 25.17%-efficient TOPCon solar modules series with multi-slice design
The Chinese manufacturer said its new T5 Pro modules featues high power density and low-current, low-resistance profile. The series has a power output of 480 W to 760 W and a power conversion efficiency of up to 25.17%.
IRENA says $554 billion invested in solar technologies in 2024
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says solar is the only renewable energy technology where current investment levels are approaching the annual average needed through to 2030 to align with its 1.5 C pathway.
Sweden’s Midsummer and Saab plan CIGS solar module plant in Colombia
A new industrial partnership driven by defense-related technology transfer says Colombia could emerge as a strategic hub for lightweight copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) manufacturing.
Sodium-ion battery storage for ultra-low temperatures
U.S. researchers have developed a sodium-ion pouch cell that operates reliably at temperatures as low as –100 C. The battery was tested with simulated and real renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, and maintained stable performance in both laboratory and field conditions.
JA Solar builds inverted perovskite solar cell with 26.7% efficiency
The Chinese manufacturer said the cell uses a multifunctional organic ammonium salt to improve interfacial engineering between the perovskite absorber and the electron transport layers. The device also achieved 24.5% efficiency when scaled up to a 1 cm² active area.
German solar plant cleared to provide secondary control reserve
Sunnic Lighthouse says Germany’s first prequalified solar project for secondary control reserve shows how quickly PV assets can move into advanced grid-services markets.
Reducing PV module temperature with twisted tape
Researchers in Iran have investigated how twisted tape in water-cooled channels can enhance heat transfer in solar modules. They have used a computer simulation to analyze the new approach with different parameters and have found the panels’ ectrical efficiency increased by up to 11.84%.
Nanostructured antireflective coating for gallium arsenide solar cells
A Spanish research team demonstrated a broadband antireflective coating for gallium arsenide solar cells. Based on thermally oxidized gallium nanoparticles, the nanostructured coating reduced reflectance by 30% across the solar spectrum, and increased solar cell performance by 10%.
