Forschungszentrum Jülich

Mounting system manufacturers back their technology but farmers still have questions about the realities of solar on agricultural land. Ramping up research on how agrivoltaics affect farming yields could provide vital answers.

It is estimated that 10 GW of solar modules in Germany suffer from prematurely aging backsheets, with sites of all sizes affected. pv magazine Germany’s Cornelia Lichner looks at how to detect and repair such defects.

Scientists in Germany analyzed the main sources of performance loss in a silicon heterojunction cell, and developed several optimization strategies to improve overall performance. By adding a second layer of amorphous silicon at the rear of the device, and a magnesium fluoride anti-reflective layer, they were able to boost cell efficiency by around 1% to reach 24.51%.

RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich evaluated the data. It shows a growing demand for photovoltaic storage systems in 2019 and continued positive market sentiment lasting well into 2020.

The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.