PERC solar products hard to sell due to falling TOPCon module prices
Prices for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar panels continue to fall. pvXchange.com founder Martin Schachinger explains how this will affect the sale of PV modules based on passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) cells.
Tender opens for feasibility study on floating solar in Zambia
The African Development Bank is seeking expressions of interest from consultants to carry out a feasibility study for a floating solar project at a dam in southern Zambia. The deadline for applications is June 15.
Enel, Energy Vault build 18 MW/36 MWh of US gravity storage
Energy Vault and Enel have revealed plans to build 18 MW/36 MWh of gravity storage in the United States. They say that the project will be the first large-scale gravity energy storage in a Western country.
Pahal Solar offers 595 W TOPCon bifacial solar panel with 23.03% efficiency
India’s Pahal Solar has launched n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) glass-backsheet modules with peak power outputs of 560 W to 595 W and efficiency ratings ranging from 21.68% to 23.03%.
AleaSoft records drop in weekly European electricity prices
Spanish consultancy AleaSoft Energy Forecasting registered a decrease in weekly electricity markets in all major European markets, bar the British and Italian markets, in the third week of May. The German market, meanwhile, broke its record for PV production on May 14, recording 404 GWh.
Renewables must triple by 2030 to hit net-zero by 2050, says BloombergNEF
BloombergNEF says in a new report that solar and wind must drive most emissions cuts before 2030 to stay on track for net-zero by 2050. Its net-zero scenario targets a combined solar and wind capacity of 31 TW by 2050.
Photovoltaics for evaporative cooling greenhouses
Researchers in Niger have proposed to use photovoltaic energy to power the operations of evaporative cooling greenhouses. The proposed experimental solution uses locally made pads and is reportedly able to compete with commercial counterparts.
EPFL unveils perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with certified efficiency of 30.9%
The tandem solar cell is based on a perovskite top cell treated with an additive known as 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzylphosphonic acid (pFBPA), which reportedly improves its power conversion efficiency and fill factor. The tandem device also integrates a bottom heterojunction silicon cell made with a 190-μm-thick, 2 Ω.cm, n-type, float-zone, shiny-etched monocrystalline wafer.
Analysis shows large-scale PV still cheapest electricity tech in Australia
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) GenCost report shows renewables remain the cheapest new-build electricity technology in Australia.
Improving PV module performance with thermoelectric heat storage based on PCM
Scientists in China have fabricated a prototype of a PV system integrating phase change materials, a thermoelectric generator and thermal collectors. The three technologies are intended to cool the solar panel and increase its power generation efficiency.
