Technology and R&D

The recovery of valuable raw materials from end-of-life solar panels and batteries presents a great opportunity for India to secure future supplies as the nation chases its ambitious renewable energy targets.

The German research institute has compared the CO2 emissions of glass-glass and glass-backsheet solar modules manufactured in Germany, the EU and China, and found glass-glass modules enable an additional emissions reduction ranging between 7.5 to 12.5% compared to PV modules with backsheet film, regardless of the location.

Generac has released a new microinverter product as part of its ongoing shift into the solar and energy storage space. The U.S. manufacturer of backup power generation products also offers a backup battery storage solution.

German manufacturer Solarwatt today announced the opening of a new 300 MW module production facility, as well as new battery pack assembly lines, located on the outskirts of Dresden. The company invested around €35 million in the new lines and says it will begin delivering modules produced on the new equipment to customers as early as next week.

The German solar manufacturer has unveiled three new formats for its glass-film and glass-glass PV modules for the first quarter of 2022.

Greek startup Tobea has developed a PV-powered platform for people with disabilities. The system consists of a fixed-track mechanism in which a moving chair can be shifted in and out of the water. It can be powered by conventional modules and relies on a battery supplied by a Greek manufacturer.

Dutch company Triple Solar has launched a new PVT module for residential applications which can be connected to water-to-water or PVT heat pumps. The new panel is said to be 10% larger and have a 15% higher output than the company’s other products and can reach a PV power output of 450 W.

The German research institute has unveiled a novel interconnection technology for shingled PV modules that eliminates the need for electrically conductive adhesives and screen-printed busbars. It consists of an 8-μm-thick aluminum foil that is joined to the silicon nitride (SiNX) passivation via laser metal bond (LMB). When integrated in a solar module, the efficiency of the new interconnector improved by 0.7%.

Multiple factors can affect the lifespan of a residential battery energy storage system. We examine the life of batteries in Part 3 of our series.

US storage system provider NeoVolta has developed a battery inverter that provides 32 A of AC output power. It has a storage capacity of 14.4 KWh that can be expanded to 24.0 kWh with the addition of another battery without the need for a second inverter.