Technology and R&D

Using just 60 solar cells, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd has created a 303 W photovoltaic module in production conditions. “Significant” cost reductions are expected to follow.

Germany’s Roth & Rau has developed a new concept for the metallization of solar cell busbars using nickel instead of silver, thus introducing savings of between 50 and 70%.

Air Liquide has inaugurated its new R&D lab in France. Via a solar cell pilot manufacturing line, the company aims to speed-up the introduction of next generation passivation and light trapping technologies.

In its bid to significantly lower the costs of solar technology and make it competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade, the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot program has unveiled a competition inviting participants to demonstrate faster, cheaper and easier ways of installing rooftop photovoltaic systems.

The 10 top technologies industry analysts expect to be developed in Brazil’s photovoltaic sector over the next 15 years have been unveiled in a new study commissioned by the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI).

Germany-based Manz AG has announced its CIGS thin film photovoltaic panels have reached an efficiency of 14.6% in production conditions. The company adds that it will able to supply power costing as little as €0.04/kWh in the future.

Under a new US$20 million partnership, Ceres Technologies will supply CIGS manufacturing equipment to the U.S. Photovoltaic Consortium (PVMC), which is headquartered at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex.

Automated demand response, or AutoDR could cost-effectively help combat intermittent renewable energy supply, particularly in light of the current high costs of grid-connected storage batteries.

Hailed as “historic”, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Queensland have been awarded a AU$40.7 million grant to establish two photovoltaic research programs.

The Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) has received €1.3 million from Singapore’s Clean Energy Research program (CERP). Overall, the program awarded €6.9 million to five solar energy research teams.