Asia

Gautam Adani faces an indictment in the United States over claims it led a scheme to bribe Indian officials to secure multibillion-dollar solar contracts. The charges allege the group concealed its actions while seeking capital from US and global investors.

Trina Solar says it has achieved a record efficiency of 26.58% for a tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell. The Chinese manufacturer says Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) has independently verified the result.

Researchers in China have created a balloon-integrated photovoltaic system that reportedly represents a feasible solution for emergency PV power generation in mid-to-high latitudes. It consists of a customized balloon, 19%-efficient thin-film cadmium telluride solar cells, an exhaust valve, control and storage modules, fixed ropes, and a cord reel, as well as an upper hemisphere and a lower arc surface.

Researchers from Germany and India have demonstrated an inkjet printing method to fabricate formamidinium tin-lead perovskite solar cells, achieving 10.26% power conversion efficiency and a 1.25 eV energy bandgap.

China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd (Energy China) has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the world’s largest contiguous solar and battery power plant in the Philippines.

Wood Mackenzie predicts that the global floating solar market will be dominated by the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and led by India, China and Indonesia through to 2033. The consultancy says growth will be driven by rising demand, decreased capital expenditure and supportive policies.

Researchers in China have fabricated a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell that utilizes an indium oxide sputtering buffer layer to protect the perovskite absorber and the electron transport layer from potential damages arising from the electrode deposition process. The new layer not only ensured this protection but also showed strong optical and electrical properties.

ICRA, an Indian credit rating agency, says India could add 22 GW of solar capacity in fiscal 2025 and 27.5 GW in fiscal 2026, pushing the nation’s total installed PV capacity to 131.5 GW by March 2026, up from 82 GW as of March 31, 2024.

Sunways’ new three-phase inverters have efficiency ratings of up to 98.6% and European efficiency ratings of 98.2%. They are available in five versions, with power outputs ranging from 15 kW to 30 kW.

Scientists in Malysia have tested a system that combines a PV panel and thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and have found it offers potential for “moderate” nighttime power generation. It is suitable for small household applications such as LED lights, laptops, phone chargers, and wireless routers.