France recycled 3,800 tons of solar modules in 2022
French eco-organization Soren, which collects and recycles end-of-life solar panels, has published its 2022 annual report. Last year, more than 10 million solar panels were put on the market in France, up 25% from 2021.
Hybridizing PV, sand storage, solar thermal energy for steam generation
A Finnish-Swedish consortium has designed a hybrid system that uses photovoltaics and solar thermal energy separately to provide steam to industrial facilities. The PV unit is coupled to a sand-based thermal storage system and reportedly contributes to lower the levelized cost of energy of the entire system.
2D/3D perovksite solar cell with record-breaking efficiency of 25.32%
A Chinese-Swiss research group has fabricated a 2D-3D perovskite solar cell with a world-record power conversion efficiency. The cell uses a 2D perovskite layer at the interface between the perovskite and the hole transport layer, which the researchers said can improve charge-carrier transport/extraction while suppressing ion migration.
European solar manufacturers secure EU financial support
Norsun and Midsummer have both secured financing to support their capacity expansion plans. Norway’s Norsun plans to raise its polysilicon capacity to 3 GW and Midsummer wants to build a 200 MW module facility in Sweden.
India’s JSW Energy targets 40 GWh/5 GW of storage capacity by 2030
JSW Energy aims to reach 20 GW of power generation, along with 40 GWh/5 GW of energy storage by 2030. It is also investing in solar manufacturing and green hydrogen production.
Texas curtailed 9% of solar generation in 2022
Transmission and energy storage limitations in Texas resulted in wasted renewable energy last year.
US manufacturer introduces roof mount with integrated sealant
Pegasus Solar has developed the InstaFlash pre-installed sealant for composite shingle roofs.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: CHN Energy plans 1 GW offshore floating PV project
CHN Energy has signed a deal to build 1 GW of offshore floating PV in China’s Shandong province, while JA Solar has announced plans to raise around CNY 9 billion ($1.3 billion) to support capacity expansion.
New research identifies potential for 51 TW of agrivoltaics in Europe
Researchers in Denmark have analyzed the potential of PV systems and their influence on the underlying farmland in three different agrivoltaic projects, including vertical bifacial optimal tilted, horizontal single-axis tracking, and vertical bifacial setups. They also calculated the potential for agrivoltaic in every region in the European Union and found that the eligible areas are unevenly distributed.
TSUN launches kit for garden, balcony PV systems
Chinese inverter manufacturer TSUN says its new balcony PV kit consists of one or two 20.7%-efficient solar modules, a 96.7%-efficient microinverter, a bracket, and cables.
