Parabolic bifacial module with active cooling system
Scientists in Morocco have designed a new bifacial module with a cooling system, based on bifacial parabolic solar cells that are connected to each other via tubes for panel cooling. They are now patenting the tech, but have yet to manufacture an initial prototype.
Italy installed 115 MW of PV in Q1
The country installed 10 MW more solar in the first three months of the year than it did in the same period a year earlier. Its cumulative capacity surpassed 21 GW by the end of March.
Tesla now claims ‘lowest price for home solar’ – but process is ‘full of pitfalls’
Tesla has decimated its solar business from installation peaks of years past and its market share lead has long been surrendered to Sunrun and others. In December, it claimed it would install 1,000 building-integrated solar roofs per week – a figure it has not come close to achieving in six months. Is this any way to run a solar business?
The weekend read: A green road to recovery
In 2019, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, under which it aims to become climate-neutral by 2050. In May of this year, the commission also unveiled a new instrument to fund the bloc’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, in line with the Green Deal principles. This reinforced the drive for renewables investment. pv magazine examines what the latest developments mean for solar.
The weekend read: Pirates of the PV industry
Product piracy is a well-known threat in many industries, and in solar the risk posed by poor quality products from disreputable manufacturers making their way onto rooftops and other PV installations should not be underestimated. With manufacturers investing in solutions to protect against inferior products bearing their logo, pv magazine looks at the size of the problem.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 3 GW of panel procurement, new PV glass capacity
Seven PV module manufacturers – including JinkoSolar, Longi and JA Solar – won supply contracts this week in a 3 GW procurement round held by China National Nuclear Corp. Flat Glass revealed plans to raise $282.6 million to expand production, while the National Energy Administration reported growth in the residential PV segment.
Meyer Burger moves to become a solar cell and module manufacturer
Through a CHF165 million capital increase, the Swiss company intends to finance the expansion of capacities for highly efficient solar cells and solar modules in Germany. Production is scheduled to start next year. The strategic partnership with REC Group has been discontinued.
Leaked: EU hydrogen strategy eyes €140 billion turnover by 2030
The European Commission has sent the European Green Deal on its way and a preliminary version of its anticipated hydrogen strategy has been leaked. The plan does not lack ambition, as the EU seeks to assert tech leadership in green hydrogen through coordinated efforts across the value chain.
Graphene doping a step forward for sodium batteries
Scientists at Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed an anode from graphene doped with sodium, which they say could potentially overcome some of the fundamental issues in increasing storage capacity and the lifetime of sodium-ion batteries.
New production equipment for large-area perovskite solar cells
National Taiwan University and Taiwanese PV production equipment provider E-Sun Precision Industrial Co. have developed equipment to produce different kinds of perovskite cells with varying chemical compositions. The first trials achieved 14.3% conversion efficiency rates.
