Heterojunction germanium solar cell with 8.6% efficiency
Japanese scientists have developed a heterojunction germanium solar cell with the biggest area ever achieved for the tech. It has an open-circuit voltage of 291 mV, a short-circuit current of 45.0 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 0.656.
French solar tender concludes with final average price of $0.08112/kWh
The French authorities have allocated around 180 MW of utility-scale solar capacity in the nation’s latest procurement exercise.
World to expand renewable energy capacity by 75% by 2027, says IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the world will deploy as much renewable energy in the next five years as it did over the last two decades.
Customizable sticker to turn solar panels into advertising billboards
An Italian startup has created a fully recyclable sticker that can be used to cover solar panels on rooftops or facades. It replicates high-definition images that can help to improve the aesthetics of solar arrays or turn PV facades into advertising billboards.
France introduces solar requirement for parking lots
The French parliament has approved a new measure to make it mandatory for parking lots to include solar if their surface area is more than 1,500 square meters.
South Africa’s sixth renewables auction concludes with lowest bid of $0.02689/kWh
South Africa selected five solar projects with a combined capacity of 860 MW in its latest auction. However, the authorities did not select any wind projects from the 4.1 GW of bids that were submitted. The final average price for PV was ZAR 0.490 ($0.02808)/kWh.
US startup develops solar-powered agricultural dehydrator
UA Technologies has developed PV-powered crop dehydration products that don’t require oil and gas fuel.
Australian researchers patent additive for perovskite’s stability problem
University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers in Australia have discovered a low-cost way to stabilize perovskite solar cells with a triple function additive. Perovskite cells have shown the best stability results with it so far.
EU aims for 30 GW of solar module production by 2025
The European Commission has launched the EU Solar PV Industry Alliance. SolarPower Europe has already joined the new entity, while EIT InnoEnergy said it will act as its secretariat.
Portugal cuts environmental approvals for utility-scale solar projects
Portugal’s new environmental rules will apply to PV projects built on sites spanning less than 100 hectares, but they will not apply to installations in protected areas.
