Products

GTM Research predicts that integrated smart and AC modules will not only benefit from growth in the larger module-level power electronics market, but will gain a larger share of that market over the next five years.

The off-grid solar market now represents US$300 million annually, with more than 13 million products having been sold to date, according to a new report. The sub-Saharan market is said to be reporting the strongest growth, followed by South Asia.

Customer trials have yielded PERC PV cells with an average 19% efficiency on industrial lines. 1366 says its cast wafers can be produced at half the cost of conventional processes.

NSP will show the new PERC cell at the PV Taiwan trade show this week, and the product will be ready for engineering sampling at the end of 2015.

After years of delays, 1366 Technologies has announced plans to break ground on the factory to produce its proprietary Direct Wafers no later than the second quarter of 2016.

Calling it the “world’s most efficient rooftop solar panel”, the company says it will produce PV modules with greater than 22% efficiency at a pilot facility.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has achieved an efficiency of 25.1% on a both sides-contacted silicon solar cell. In addition to increasing efficiencies, the TOPCon technology is said to simplify manufacturing processes.

GTM Research’s latest report estimates that global PV system prices will fall an average of 40% by 2020, driven by balance of systems cost reductions.

Solar mapping provider Mapdwell has expanded to San Francisco, estimating that the city can host up to 3 GW of rooftop PV. This is a higher capacity per square mile than other cities.

Applied announced it would cut two of its solar product lines in its latest quarterly results, which caused a further bleeding of red ink in its Energy and Environmental Solutions business unit.