Technology and R&D

A new report published by the International Energy Agency offers a series of guidelines for the design of recyclable PV modules. The report aims to help manufacturers find the balance between durability and recyclability, to better address concerns about the 78 million tons of end-of-life PV modules expected by 2050.

The Vietnamese solar manufacturer presented its new half-cut monocrystalline PERC PV module at last week’s Intersolar Europe. It features an efficiency of 21.38% efficiency and maximum power output of 605 W.

The financing round will be used to drive the Spanish PV software specialist’s international growth in markets such as the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, accelerate product development and improve customer experience.

Manufacturing giant JinkoSolar has set another world record for n-type solar cell efficiencies with its TOPCon technology, this time pushing to 25.4%. The new world record was confirmed by JET laboratories in Japan, and surpasses JinkoSolar’s previous record of 25.25% set back in May.

Scientists in the United States working with silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries have managed to model key mechanisms that lead to fast developing performance loss in the anodes. Understanding what causes the silicon to swell up and subsequently fall apart, the scientists say, is an important step to preventing it, and producing long lasting, high-capacity batteries.

Half-cut solar cells have quickly grown to become an industry standard, promising more power through reduced cell-to-module losses, among other advantages. Innovative processes have been introduced to reduce cell damage during the actual cutting process, but even these still leave behind an unpassivated area at the edge of the cell, which can result in performance losses. As cell efficiencies increase, this will only become more of a problem. pv magazine examines the possible solutions.

Researchers at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) identified a new magnesium-based alloy that could be used for hydrogen storage. Furthermore, Hyundai Mobis announced a $1.1 billion (€0.95 billion) investment in two new fuel cell plants in South Korea, while South Korea’s SK Group formed a joint venture with US hydrogen solutions company Plug Power to develop green hydrogen across several Asian countries.

The double-glass product has dimensions of 2,384 x 1,303 x 35 mm and a weight of 38 kg. It is based on the company’s n-type TOPCon 2.0 cell technology dubbed Niwa Max, which the manufacturer said reached efficiencies of up to 25.4% in the laboratory. The module’s efficiency ranges from 21.73 to 22.53%.

Meyer Burger plans to start selling a new building-integrated PV product from 2022. It says the solar tiles have a high energy yield, with simplified installation and the ability to also provide heating. German engineering company paXos designed the tiles.

Developed by Swedish manufacturer Azelio, the system stores renewable energy in recycled aluminum and has an electrical and thermal energy output, with a total efficiency of 90 %. One unit’s storage capacity reaches 165 kWh of electrical output and on top of that thermal energy between 55-65 degrees Celsius. Its modular configuration allows the deployment of projects with a capacity of up to 100 MW.