Solliance claims 21.5% efficiency for perovskite CIGS cell
The European solar research organization, Solliance announced it has achieved a 21.5% efficiency for a flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) tandem solar cell based on perovskite.
‘China’s most efficient’: Hanergy hits 24.34% efficiency on HJT cell
Chinese PV manufacturer Hanergy Thin Film Power Group today announced it has achieved 24.23% cell efficiency using its silicon heterojunction technology. The efficiency has been confirmed by Japan’s Electrical Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories.
Outlook for n-type
Among n-type manufacturers, SunPower, Panasonic, and LG had the leading roles in interdigitated back contact (IBC), heterojunction (HJT), and tunnel oxidized passivated contact (TOPCon), respectively. But Chinese cells with low cost and high efficiency trends have been on the rise. In the future expansion of n-type production lines, the power of Chinese cell manufacturers and equipment makers can’t be underestimated.
Taking the heat: Jinko cells put through their paces under new LeTID test
Chinese solar giant JinkoSolar says it has put its products through a new set of standards testing for light-elevated temperature induced degradation, with the new examination regime set to be adopted as an industry standard.
German researchers increase open circuit voltage of perovskite solar cells to 1.26 volts
The voltage is key to improving efficiency, the scientists say. It indicates how much energy is lost within the cell through ‘recombination processes’.
French researchers produce 348 W half-cell HJT module
Scientists at France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, working with Swiss equipment supplier Meyer Burger, have hit 23.9% efficiency in large-scale production of heterojunction cells. The team also combined HJT cells with other technologies to produce a module with a 348 W power rating.
The weekend read: Reflections on a soiled module
Having quickly proven their performance-boosting potential and durability, anti-reflective coatings are now found on the majority of modules rolling off the world’s production lines. Today, coating suppliers are looking to tackle losses from soiling as well as reflection, and working to keep up with cost reductions and extended lifetime expectations at module level. Older modules, installed without a coating, could also be set to benefit from the latest innovations.
Jinko achieves 24.2% efficiency for its n-type monocrystalline cell
The Chinese module maker said the result was certified by the Photovoltaic and Wind Power Systems Quality Test Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The record, Jinko said, is thanks to its high quality n-type wafers, selective doping technology and advanced fine-line printing.
Price pressure and delivery bottlenecks lead SMA to significant loss in 2018
The German inverter maker struggled after China’s announcement at the end of May drove down prices and markets around the world and left a clear mark on its figures. Both the commercial PV segment and the storage business fell short of expectations due to delivery bottlenecks.
It’s all in the electrons – Japanese scientists give perovskites a push
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have developed a process for the creation of perovskite cells with better than 20% efficiency. The cells use a tin-oxide electron transport layer, which the scientists say can triple their operational lifetime.
