Germany

Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have investigated gallium-doping in p-type silicon wafers as a route to better performance. Testing these specially produced p-type wafers in TOPCon and heterojunction cell architectures, which several major PV cell manufacturers are gearing up to produce on more expensive n-type wafers, the scientists found that with gallium doping, the p-type wafers can achieve similar or even better cell efficiencies compared to those made so far with n-type wafers.

SMA’s Home Solutions segment was particularly badly hit as the PV inverter manufacturer struggled to meet the demand due to the shortage of materials. The sales and results in the first half of 2022 were therefore significantly worse than in 2021. The company now wants to take “a series of measures to improve its long-term ability to deliver.”

EDP Renewables says the acquisition of a 70% stake in Kronos Solar Projects will open up the German and Dutch renewables markets to the Portuguese energy company.

PV system operators in Germany recorded high revenues in July, as solar generation continued to break record after record.

Seven German companies have agreed to put 27 Hyundai heavy-duty fuel cell trucks into fleet service in the coming months. American Airlines has revealed an investment in ZeroAvia, while New Fortress Energy has invested in a 120 MW industrial-scale plant in Texas.

Swiss panel manufacturer Meyer Burger wanted to increase the annual capacity of its production lines this year, but the ramp-up has been delayed due to ongoing bottlenecks in global supply chains.

The PEM fuel cell test in New York demonstrated the viability of this technology at 3 MW, the first time at the scale of a backup generator at a data center. Meanwhile, a Spanish-Indian venture will develop up to 300 MW of installed green hydrogen production capacity in the Iberian Peninsula, and a Norwegian-German partnership aims to have a demo track powered by a fuel cell system on the road in mid-2023.

The new panel from the German manufacturer may also be used as a solar tile and is claimed to be particularly suitable for historical buildings and aesthetically demanding new construction and renovation projects.

In June alone, new PV systems totaling 612 MW were connected to the German grid. The country’s cumulative operational PV capacity reached 59.9 GW at the end of June.

The German PV equipment manufacturer said it will discontinue all activities in the CIGS thin-film area after writing off €23.2 million due to a failed fab project in China.