PV

A 37 MW solar plant was built in Japan’s mountainous eastern Nagano prefecture. The project was developed by Singapore-based Vena Energy and constructed by Japanese contractor Airu.

Scientists in Brazil have found that photovoltaic modules may be a repository of specialized microbes in tropical regions. According to them, these micro-organisms may be used in sunscreens, pigments for processed foods, chemicals, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has asked the dispute resolution committee to look into commissioning extension requests for solar projects that are due for delivery before April 1, 2022.

Scientists in Korea evaluated recent progress in the development of low cost, large scale processes for the production of perovskite solar cells on flexible substrates, finding that several challenges remain. The group recommends that research should focus on developing novel processes and materials for perovskite solar cell production, rather than adapting those already in use elsewhere.

An international team of scientists trialled a new approach to passivating defects in perovskite solar cells. Using a tailored arrangement of atoms, the team was able to overcome challenges related to the formation of a two-dimensional perovskite layer on top of the active cell material, and reach 21.4% conversion efficiency for a 26cm² active area, which they claim as a record for a perovskite device of this size.

The U.S. manufacturer has started building its third Ohio production base and has also begun ordering equipment to kit out its first factory in India.

JSG has sold several ingot furnaces to Shuangliang Eco-Energy and Jinchen Machinery will provide Yingli with production equipment totaling 3.5 GW.

Norwegian scientists have developed a gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanowire solar cell that can be used as a top cell in a dual tandem cell with a bottom silicon cell. The device is claimed to be the most efficient single-junction GaAs nanowire solar cell grown on a silicon substrate so far.

German manufacturer 3-D Micromac said it has developed a new machine that can produce more than 6,000 wafers per hour. It is suitable for solar cells with temperature-sensitive coatings, or depositions such as heterojunction devices.

U.S. manufacturer UbiQD has developed a solar window with laminated glass and luminescent solar concentrators, based on copper indium sulfide and zinc sulfide quantum dots. It is now testing pilot installations in Nevada.