Chinese PV Industry Brief: Aiko Solar, GoodWe, Ginlong Solis post H1 profit declines
Aiko Solar, GoodWe, and Ginlong Solis have all posted declines in net profit for the first half of 2024 due to industry overcapacity.
Italian startup develops thermo-mechanical PV panel recycling process
Venice-based 9-tech has developed a thermomechanical process to recycle end-of-life PV panels, with early results showing an 87% recovery yield of materials such as silicon, copper, and silver.
Taiwan installs 2.7 GW of new solar in 2023
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) says the island added 2.7 GW of new solar capacity last year, bringing its total capacity to 12.41 GW by December 2023. Feed-in tariffs for installations up to 100 kW continue to drive the market.
Chinese solar module prices fall despite price hikes in upstream segment
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
POLO back junction solar cell built with PECVD achieves 24.2% efficiency
A group including scientists from Insititute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) and German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm has developed a POLO back junction solar cell by using an industrial plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system with a low-frequency plasma source. The device achieved a slightly higher efficiency than a reference device fabricated via more expensive atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Freeware tool predicts light transmission, power generation of PV materials used in agrivoltaics
A research paper from scientists at Swansea University describes their tool for analyzing thermodynamic limits of organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics (OPVs). One of the findings was that semi-transparent solar PV deployed in greenhouses may deliver comparable performance to conventional crystalline silicon PV.
Using surplus PV power for seasonal underground thermal storage
Scientists have proposed a new system that uses surplus PV energy in the spring and the autumn to charge up underground thermal energy storage for later use in the summer and winter. They have simulated it on a school facility in Seoul, with a few optional configurations for thermal storage. Power savings were up to 39%.
Italy’s first agrivoltaic tenders draws bids for 1.7 GW
Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) says it has received 643 bids totaling 1.7 GW in its first agrivoltaic tender. About 56% of the proposals have come from the country’s sunny southern regions.
Enel completes 486.7 MW solar park in Colombia
Enel has finished installing PV modules at a 486.7 MW solar park in Colombia. Once fully operational, it will be the largest PV project in the country.
New solar carport opens at 4,300 meters on Mount Everest
Chinese module maker Aiko Solar says it has built a 150 kW off-grid solar carport at an altitude of 4,300 meters on Mount Everest, featuring 645 W bifacial dual-glass modules and 200 kWh of battery storage.
