Hanwha Q Cells unveils special panels for floating PV
The South Korean module manufacturer has developed two new products for large-scale floating PV plants. They have power outputs of 415 W and 420 W and efficiencies of 19.4% and 19.6%.
Trina Solar signs $321m solar glass order
The Chinese giant has inked a 26-month deal with supplier Changzhou Almaden to purchase 85 million square meters of the material for its ultra high power Vertex products.
The best renewables combination for off-grid power supply
Scientists in India have proposed a model to design an off-grid, hybrid energy system based on a combination of solar, wind, biomass, biogas and fuel cell, linked to storage, for electrifying a cluster of three village hamlets in the Indian state of Karnataka. The model is implemented through the HOMER software and a genetic algorithm.
Indonesia has 18.2 MW of solar under net metering
Most of Indonesia’s deployed capacity comes from industrial PV systems, at 7.7 MW, while residential PV installations stand at just 5.1 MW. The authorities introduced improved net metering provisions earlier this year.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi, Jinko and JA Solar expect their combined capacity of 182mm modules will reach 54 GW next year
At a conference held in Shanghai last week, the three Tier-1 manufacturers explained that the entire Chinese PV industry will continue to adapt to the 182mm wafers over the next months.
Rectangular aluminum fins for PV module cooling
Scientists in Pakistan have proposed a new passive cooling technique which they claim can improve a module’s open-circuit voltage by up to 12.97% and its efficiency by up to 2.08%.
More land restrictions for solar in Taiwan
PV developers will no longer be allowed to deploy solar on salt flats in ecologically sensitive areas in Chiayi County and the city of Tainan.
Chinese patent office rejects patent nullity proceedings against Hanwha Q Cells
Longi Solar had filed two lawsuits in China against the validity of two patents of the photovoltaic manufacturer from South Korea. Hanwha Q-Cells sees now a good chance of being successful in proceedings before the European Patent Office.
China could add 48 GW of solar next year – AECEA
The in-country analyst has revised up its expectation for this year and says a healthy unsubsidized project pipeline will keep the numbers ticking over in 2021. The spending plans necessary to ramp up renewables targets in the next five-year plan, though, could put the nation on a collision course with the EU.
Cadmium sulfide-free kesterite solar cell with 11.22% efficiency
South Korean scientists have built a kesterite solar cell based on a zinc tin oxide (ZTO) buffer layer. It offers almost the same efficiency as kesterite cells based on toxic cadmium sulfide buffer layers, as the energy of the electrons between the kesterite absorber layer and ZTO buffer layer are aligned.
