The mobility rEVolution: Volkswagen starts building battery cell plant
Volkswagen has started constructing its first battery cell factory in Germany, while Northvolt has raised $1.1 billion for a new battery gigafactory. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, has agreed to send second-life batteries to Canada for use in stationary storage applications.
Lead-free soldering in modules: It can be done!
pv magazine’s UP sustainability campaign has investigated the use of lead in PV panels and found, with soldered cell interconnections in particular, viable alternatives are scarce. However, German headquartered manufacturer Opes Solutions has launched a small module for the off-grid market featuring lead-free solder, developed at the request of a customer. We caught up with Opes CEO Robert Händel for a closer look at the module and the challenges and benefits of going lead-free.
