PV module recyclers aiming for high-purity material recovery
France’s National Institute for Solar Energy takes a look at the state of play in the European solar panel recycling industry.
People in quarantine in the United States are searching for solar power
New data from The Harris Poll and LG show that LG’s solar web traffic, as well as quote requests for residential systems are both trending high since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the issue becomes turning this interest into concrete sales.
Fine-tuning plasmonic solar cells
Two different studies published this week show new advances in the use of plasmonic enhancement to improve performance and stability of perovskite solar cells.
Assessing impact of residual stress in solar cells
Scientists in China have analyzed the impact of residual stress in triple-junction solar cells used in aircraft and satellite applications. The group observed damages such as holes, fractures of grid lines, cracks at the cell level, and fractures of the PV materials.
A 25-year power purchase agreement for 60 MW of floating solar in Singapore
Utilities and marine company Sembcorp Industries has secured an energy offtaker for its Tengeh Reservoir project.
A gigawatt solar factory in Europe? Why it must be in France
With Swiss solar equipment company Meyer Burger laying plans for a module fab in North Rhine-Westphalia and Norwegian panel maker REC Group mulling a fab in Sarreguemines, northeastern France, Xavier Daval – from French renewables association the SER – says it is time Europe resumes its path to a stable solar manufacturing industry, not least because of the rising proportion of solar module costs accounted for by shipping.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Lower wafer prices, new modules, and a factory under construction
Longi has announced more cuts to wafer prices, while cell manufacturer Tongwei has started building the first phase of its 30 GW Jintang PV manufacturing base. Risen Energy has also released solid financials, while JA Solar has unveiled plans to start selling its 500 W-plus solar modules.
Poland added 236 MW of solar in two months
The country’s installed PV capacity reached 1.83 GW at the end of last month, according to the national grid operator.
Micronesia launches tender for utility scale solar-plus-storage
The government of the Federated States of Micronesia wants to increase power generation capacity on the islands of Yap and Kosrae.
Harvesting atmospheric water to cool down PV panels
Scientists from Saudi Arabia have proposed a new PV panel cooling technique which employs an atmospheric water harvester. The device uses waste heat from the PV panel to collect atmospheric water at night and then releases it during the day to cool down the module. The researchers claim the device may also be improved to produce liquid water, which could be used for the cleaning of the modules.
