Solar module cooling tech based on waste neem oil
An international research team has placed a neem oil tank on the back of solar modules for cooling purposes. The proposed solution reportedly improves PV panel performance by up to 17.8%.
Weekend Read: Thin prospects
The production of PV ingots and wafers remains the most highly concentrated of all the production stages in the silicon solar supply chain. Yet efforts to re-establish production in Europe and the United States are not for the faint-hearted.
VSun unveils new half-cut monocrystalline PERC PV module
The Vietnamese solar manufacturer presented its new half-cut monocrystalline PERC PV module at last week’s Intersolar Europe. It features an efficiency of 21.38% efficiency and maximum power output of 605 W.
Plans for HJT gigafactory in Russia
The controlling shareholder of Russian PV manufacturer Hevel Solar says it has started construction on a gigafactory to manufacture solar ingots, wafers and heterojunction (HJT) cells in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia, between Lithuania and Poland.
New renewables cheaper than legacy coal or gas for almost half the world’s population
Electricity bill payers in nations as diverse as Germany, Greece, India and China should be aware new solar projects can now generate electricity cheaper for them than legacy coal and gas-fired plants.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Tongwei and Longi hold wafer and cell prices
Plus, panel maker Risen began construction of a 15 GW cell and module factory in Yiwu, in the central Zhejiang province of eastern China.
Canadian Solar joins the 500 W-plus panel club
The Chinese-Canadian company has unveiled a range of high-power modules which are set to go into mass production by early next year. The series includes a commercial and industrial rooftop-dedicated product offering a reported 405 W.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: a 15 GW factory, new standards and solar glass output
Risen Solar has unveiled plans for a 15 GW cell and module fab in Yiwu City, Zhejiang province and China South Glass is fundraising for a PV glass factory in Anhui province. Such growth, however, may be slowed by the introduction of new standards by the government.
Minimum mono Perc standards could halt Chinese production boom
The authorities in Beijing, concerned at ever greater solar production capacity announcements and oversupply fears, are preparing to introduce standards which would bring the recent mono Perc production explosion to a shuddering halt.
Sharp unveils black, half-cut-cell module
The solar panel will be part of the half-cut-cell series recently launched by the Japanese manufacturer and the company claims it is ideal for rooftop PV projects with aesthetic requirements. The 19.0%-efficient product has a power output of 320 W.
