Technology and R&D

Swiss manufacturer Meyer Burger says that in August it hopes to begin distributing its new gray solar tiles, which are already being used in pilot projects.

The new edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), published this week, finds that 295 GW of PV modules was shipped in 2022, and that prices for silicon PV modules fell by 7% over the year. The report finds that price premiums for n-type modules are now marginal, and the technology grew to represent 15% of the market, and is expected to keep growing over the coming decade.

The authorities on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria have decided to resume work on a 200 MW pumped hydro project after they determined that cavities and canals in a water reservoir are not archeologically significant.

University of New South Wales researchers have identified four failure modes caused by damp heat in heterojunction solar panels with a glass-back sheet configuration. The failures could result in power losses ranging from 5% to 50%.

Scientists from Fraunhofer ISE have sought to utilize epitaxially grown p-type silicon wafers TOPCon rear emitter (TOPCore) solar cells with the aim of reducing production costs and carbon footprint. They claim this combination is paving the way for TOPCore devices that exceed 25% efficiency.

NREL researchers model viable pathways to supplying the estimated 60 TW of capacity required for decarbonization, and study the effect that disruptive solar technologies may have on deployment cost and market opportunity.

Developed by Chinese researchers, the system is designed to reach a heating capacity of 5.7 kW and an overall coefficient of performance of 1.40 at nominal conditions. It is made with an engine unit, a heat pump unit, and a gas resonator unit in a loop.

Perovskite-silicon tandem technology expert Gianluca Coletti explains what cycles the PV industry and scientific community experience every time there are new jumps in power conversion efficiencies at cell level. According to him, we are experiencing a much faster turnover of efficiency records typical of the early stage of development of a new technology holding an incredible potential.

An international research group led by Longi Central R&D Institute has published a paper describing Longi’s heterojunction solar cell based on a full-size silicon wafer that made a sensation in November, as it beat the long-lasting efficiency record held by Japanese manufacturer Kaneka for years. The researchers attributed the cell efficiency improvement to the implementation of a p-type amorphous silicon hydrogenated layer together with a modified transparent conductive oxides contact, which they said greatly reduced the cell contact resistivity.

Two Norwegian companies are designing floating concentrating photovoltaic thermal technology that can produce both electricity and heat. It is intended for use in carbon capture projects and to be supported by an industrial heat pump system.