China

Polysilicon maker GCL-Poly has started construction of a factory with an annual production capacity of 54,000 MT as Chinese inverter manufacturer Goodwe launched an IPO on the Shanghai stock market.

Chinese researchers have discovered a new hydrothermal method for the direct deposition of antimony sulfide-selenide films. They used ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to regulate the reaction system, giving the film a flat, compact surface morphology. It has an efficiency of 10.5%, an open-circuit voltage of 664 mV, a short-circuit current of 23.8 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 66.3%.

Longyuan has revealed plans to build a 350 MW hybrid wind-solar plant in Shandong province. China Resources, meanwhile, said it will build 200 MW of floating solar in Hubei province.

The Baofeng Group is building a 1 GW solar park which is hosting a goji berry plantation in the Binhe New District on the eastern banks of the Yellow River in the Ningxia Province. Around 640 MW have so far been grid-connected. Huawei is providing the inverters for the project.

A Chinese research group has developed a PERC cell on a commercial 180-μm-thick monocrystalline silicon wafer with a standard size of 156 × 156 mm2. The cell has an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.677 V, a short short-circuit current (ISC) of 9.63 A, and a fill factor of 80.30%.

An international group of scientists has discovered a ‘space charge’ mechanism that explains why certain metal oxides used as electrodes in lithium-ion batteries exhibit higher storage capacities than should be theoretically possible. The research, according to the group, will unlock new pathways to the development of more advanced energy storage systems.

Scientists in China have developed an organic module with an area of 18 cm2 based on a non-fullerene acceptor called DTY6. The device has a certified efficiency of 13.98%, but when a non-halogen solvent was used, it even reached 16.1%.

Cybrid, a Shanghai-listed backsheet supplier, will open a new EVA encapsulant factory in Zhejiang province. Datang, meanwhile, has revealed plans to build 1.05 GW at 10 sites across three provinces.

In the second article in a series, pv magazine editor Pilar Sánchez Molina and industry experts keep discussing the challenges and opportunities created by new panels with power output exceeding 500 W.

In the first article of a series, pv magazine editor Pilar Sánchez Molina analyzes with industry experts challenges and opportunities created by new panels with power output exceeding 500 W.