PV

Scientists have developed a hybrid production method combining metal mesh and a metal-oxide layer over a glass substrate which they say brings down production cost by 80% compared to the tin-doped, indium oxide-based technology currently in use.

Scientists in India have used a pouch laminator to encapsulate a polycrystalline solar cell. The resulting device, the researchers claim, showed better UV photon absorption than solar cells treated with a polymer surface coating.

A research project in the Netherlands is seeking to assess the impact of large scale PV projects on soil quality and biodiversity. Principal scientist Wim Sinke, of Dutch research center TNO, says well-designed and operated and maintained solar parks could prove to have better outcomes than monoculture farming.

Sveck, China’s top supplier of EVA films for PV modules, has revealed plans to list shares in Shenzhen. China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp. has selected Longi and EGing to respectively supply 238 MW and 112 MW of panels for its projects, with Longi also announcing wafer price cuts. Jincheng Machinery, meanwhile, has started raising funds to develop a new production line.

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.

The government wants to procure several 1 MW-plus solar plants. The tender is the third of its kind, and part of the 50 MW incentive scheme the island’s government launched in November 2017.

The figure took the nation to a cumulative 120 MW at the end of the year, according to figures published by Norwegian solar industry organization the Solenergiklyngen. Around 2 MW of the capacity added in 2019 came in the form of off-grid projects.

Solar developers in India must consider a range of risks to secure reasonable returns on solar projects, according to research by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and JMK Research & Analytics.

Scientists in Japan have proposed a new model to estimate cell voltages in solar modules by irradiating the cells with a weak modulated laser light. The method could be used to detect hot spots and other panel-degradation issues, such as potential induced degradation (PID) peeling, cracking, and poor contacts.

German startup Sinn Power has combined wave, wind and solar power to create what it claims is the world’s “first floating ocean hybrid platform.”