‘Bigger is not always better’
Chinese monocrystalline PV module manufacturer Longi has yet to join the race to produce solar panels with power outputs above 600 W. The decision is line with a clear strategy, a company spokesperson told pv magazine. Outstanding issues for these moduels, according to the manufacturer, include low cell manufacturing yield, system compatibility, concerns about module transport, and hotspot-related failure risks, as well as the need for mechanical loading tests.
New MPPT algorithm for bidirectional inverter design
A newly proposed inverter design relies on a solar charge controller featuring maximum power point tracking. It is based on an artificial fish-swarm algorithm, which offers high convergence speeds, flexibility, fault tolerance, and accuracy.
Global green hydrogen project pipeline reaches 50 GW
International thinktank IEEFA says there are 50 viable green hydrogen projects under development with an estimated renewable energy capacity of 50 GW and the potential to produce 4 million tonnes of the fuel annually.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: New supply deal for Daqo plus more cell and PV glass production capacity
Chinese polysilicon manufacturer Daqo has secured a long-term supply agreement with PV equipment provider and monocrystalline wafer manufacturer Wuxi Shangji Automation, Shanxi Coal International Energy Group has unveiled a plan to set up a 10 GW heterojunction solar cell production fab and Longi has held its wafer prices.
More details emerge of missing deposits as auditor reduces Panda Green’s 2019 losses
There was rare good news for the remaining independent shareholders of the state-controlled solar developer, as the overdue 2019 figures were finally published, with new auditor PwC shaving almost $15 million off a near-$540 million loss.
Manufacturing process for mono cast solar cell exceeding 23% efficiency
Trina Solar has made a PV cell by directly applying the unmodified i-TOPCon process, originally developed for Cz mono wafers, to cast n-type quasi-mono silicon wafers. It claims the average efficiency, tested in-house with a calibrated reference cell, is 22.98%.
Indian manufacturers request duties on PV imports
India imported $1.3 billion worth of solar cells and modules from China in fiscal 2019-20, but domestic manufacturers are now demanding a level playing field to compete against cheaper imports.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Coal producer enters PV business, Jinko builds frame factory
State-run coal producer China Pingmei Shenma has revealed plans to enter the PV module business with a 5 GW production unit in Henan province. JinkoSolar, meanwhile, has started building a new factory for aluminum PV panel frames.
Kstar unveils 1,100 V string inverters
The Chinese manufacturer has designed the new products for the C&I solar segment. They are available in two versions, with 121 kW and 150 kW of AC output and efficiency ratings ranging from 98.7% to 99.0%.
Embracing the 600 W+ Era
Solar modules are getting more powerful. This much was clear walking the show floor at the SNEC show earlier this month in Shanghai, where leading manufacturers all exhibited products with power ratings in the 600 W+ range. In this pv magazine Webinar, hosted in partnership with Trina Solar, we’ll take a closer look at the technologies inside Trina’s Vertex module, and why its impressive performance is about much more than simply making the module larger.
