Jolywood switches on 1.5 GW TOPCon solar cell factory in China
The Chinese bifacial module maker has commissioned a 1.5 GW TOPCon cell factory in China’s Zhejiang province, which raised its total TOPCon cell capacity to 3.6 GW. Another 16 GW facility is being planned for the Shanxi province.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: CPIA expects no more than 55 GW of new PV capacity this year
The world’s biggest solar market is expected to add between 45 and 55 GW of new solar in 2021, the head of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association has revealed. Furthermore, Longi has further lowered its wafer prices and Xinyi Solar said it wants to build a new US$942 million solar glass factory in Yunnan Province.
Solar module disassembly equipment from Japan
Developed by Japanese PV equipment provider NPC Incorporated, the solar module disassembly line is claimed to enable the reuse of frames, junction boxes, intact broken glass, solar cells and EVA sheets.
US manufacture of solar modules, trackers, inverters incentivized in Build Back Better
In a draft of the Build Back Better infrastructure plan released by the Senate Finance Committee, domestic manufacturing of solar PV and balance-of-system components would qualify for incentives.
US aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab takes over space solar cell maker Solaero
Rocket Lab has acquired space solar cell maker Solaero for $80 million. The latter operates an 11,000m2 manufacturing facility in New Mexico and produces multi-junction cells with efficiencies ranging from 29.4% to 32%.
Low-bandgap GaInNAsSb solar cell for multi-junction architectures
Developed by researchers in Finland, the solar cell is intended to be used as part of lattice-matched multi-junction solar cells. It achieved a short-circuit current density of 15.2 mA/cm2 and external quantum efficiency of 0.79.
US House unanimously passes forced labor bill for China’s Xinjiang region
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would ban all imports from China’s Xinjiang region, unless the US government determines that products were not made with forced labor. The region supplies about 50% of the world’s polysilicon, which is an essential material in solar PV.
PV-powered hydrogen could already hit LCOH of €6.23/kg in Germany
Green hydrogen can now compete with hydrogen produced with fossil fuels in Germany, according to new research. Scientists have looked at six different scenarios for alkaline and PEM electrolyzers and identified alkaline devices powered by grid-connected PV as the cheapest option.
German PV equipment providers keep recovering, but uncertainties remain
German engineering association the VDMA has reported increasing orders and sales for PV equipment suppliers in the third quarter. China accounted for around 80% of PV production equipment demand during the period.
Large-area bifacial TOPCon solar cell with 23.01% efficiency
The n-type cell was built with phosphorus-doped LPCVD poly-Si passivating contacts and achieved a remarkable open-circuit voltage of 691.7 mV. According to its creators, with some adjustments the cell may be suitable for commercial production.
