China

For the seventh year in the row, China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) looks set to claim the title of the world’s biggest battery maker. There are a number of reasons why it continues to maintain its lead in the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) markets..

Scientists from Trina Solar, Longi, Fraunhofer ISE, and other entities have looked at light and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) in gallium-doped Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si:Ga) PERC cells. They have found little relevant degradation.

The China National Institute of Metrology has certified the result. The manufacturer claims it was able to increase the panel efficiency from 16.02% to 18.04% in a few months.

CHN Energy has acquired 10 GW of solar modules at $0.15/W in its most recent solar module procurement round. The state-owned company says it bought 3.21 GW of panels from Longi, 740 MW from Tongwei, 2.49 GW from Astronergy, and 3.56 GW from JinkoSolar.

Wood Mackenzie says in a new report that China could install 230 GW of PV and wind capacity and export more than 200 GW of solar panels in 2023. Unlike Europe and United States, the country is avoiding the high curtailment of PV and wind.

State Grid Corp. of China has commissioned a 1.2 GW pumped hydro project, featuring three 300 MW turbines.

Polysilicon prices fell by as much as 3.23% in China this week, according to the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA).

Weiheng Ecactus has unveiled its new Tianwu battery system, with 233 kWh of capacity and 100 kW of output, giving users the flexibility to connect up to 10 units in parallel.

Scientists in Korea have proposed a simple methodolgy to tranform existing PV systems into photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) arrays. They claim the new design offers a cheaper alternative to expensive PVT systems, while enabling easier and faster deployment.

Scientists in China have designed a kesterite-kesterite solar cell with an optimized structure that may potentially achieve efficiencies nearing those of crystalline silicon PV devices. They improved the performance of the two subcells by adjusting band alignment at interfaces, selecting proper buffer layers, and adding a double layer to both devices.