Technology and R&D

Leading solar researcher Professor Martin Green says that the solar industry has entered a new phase of manufacturing, in which the focus is firmly on efficiency gains. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher believes that PERC technology is leading the way in terms of wide scale adoption, and that conversion efficiencies of 25% can be expected with multicrystalline PERC cells.

The collaboration between Japan’s Gifu University and Germany’s ZSW is expected to create better conditions for the “efficient transfer of research results into the marketplace.”

Combined solar PV and biomass power generation plant is the first of its kind in China. 1.44 MW solar element due to come online later this month.

German laser systems provider InnoLas Solutions has reported that its 2014 bookings have shown an increase on 2013, on the back of orders for its Ultrafast PERC equipment. It reports bookings of over 1 GW of upgrades in Q1 2015.

Researchers have achieved an open voltage perovskite-cSi tandem cell with an open circuit (Voc) voltage of 1.65 V and a conversion efficiency of 13.7%. The team from MIT and Stanford report its work has identified key challenges in achieving efficiencies in excess of 25% with the tandem technology.

Firm to use money to help develop its Smart Off-Grid technology.

The funds will assist the demonstration and deployment of Bosch’s direct-current building-scale micro-grid platform, which the company says will provide a more reliable and resilient power supply to critical loads.

German PV equipment supplier Schmid is promoting its PERT technology as resulting in significantly reduced light-induced degradation than occurs in PERC multicrystalline cells. PERT refers to Passivated Emitter Rear Totally Diffused (PERT) technology that Schmid can achieve with its Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (APCVD) tooling.

A study released today has found that solar can supply more than 60% of electricity demand in the remote town of Alice Springs and the grid remain stable. The study concludes that an additional 10 MW of PV can be added to the town’s grid, although advises it be spread over nine 1.1 MW arrays to reduce the potentially destabilizing affect of variable cloud cover.

German PV production equipment supplier Singulus has booked a “substantial” order for process machines for the production of “high performance” solar cells. The order, in the “double digit of millions,” brings Singulus’ solar bookings in Q1 to more than $54 million.