Technology and R&D

Twelve photovoltaic storage systems with capacities of 5 kW or 10 kW were included in the comparison, among them several new products, all of which achieved efficiency class A. A new study – also examining efficiency losses when storing electricity from the grid – highlights the importance of highly efficient battery storage. The researchers also took a closer look at the warranty conditions of the devices.

Longi says it has ranked first in a recent 800 MW PV module tender in China’s Gansu province, while Canadian Solar says the first 2 GW phase of its US heterojunction (HJT) cell factory is set to begin pilot production in March or April.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new three residential battery lines support a depth of discharge of 90% and deliver over 6,000 cycles.

The new product has a maximum wattage of 725 W, a maximum current of 22 A, and a maximum efficiency of 99.6%.

The Chinese electric vehicle maker said the new batteries can charge from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in 9 minutes. The company also announced a new generation of its Flash Charging Technology.

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.

Global solar supply chains face renewed price pressure as weak post-holiday demand in China collides with high polysilicon stockpiles, pushing wafer costs lower and weighing on exporters ahead of policy changes.

Researchers in the U.S. have developed a set of guidelines and protocols to assess the performance of three-terminal (3-T) and four-terminal (4-T) tandem solar cells, including those with subcells made of III–V, CdTe, perovskites or silicon materials.

Austrian researchers analyzed commercial ethylene vinyl acetate–polyolefin–ethylene vinyl acetate (EPE) solar encapsulants and found that products sold under the same label can have significantly different material structures and performance. While EPE offers better moisture barriers and thermal resistance than EVA and is rapidly gaining market share, the study warns that its long-term reliability and behavior vary widely and require deeper investigation.

Researchers reviewed 110 studies on cold thermal energy storage in liquid-air energy storage, finding that cold storage performance has a far greater impact on system efficiency than previously assumed. While phase change materials offer high theoretical efficiency gains, simpler packed-bed sensible heat systems are currently the most mature and cost-effective option, with further experimental validation needed to bridge the gap to large-scale deployment.