Solar wafer prices marginally rise, supported by currency exchange rate
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
Ethiopia’s renewable energy sector hit by range of issues
Poor planning, overambitious projects and “weak” human and institutional expertise are just some problems plaguing the Ethiopian government’s best efforts to procure renewable energy projects, according to a new study.
New wall-mount lithium battery inverters from India
Exide, an Indian manufacturer, has entered the lithium-ion home power backup market with wall-mount lithium battery inverters ranging in size from 450 W to 720 W.
Israel to build energy communities in villages destroyed by Hamas
Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure says it is currently developing a multi-year program for communities attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. It aims to deploy 5 GW of energy in the destroyed areas, once residents return.
New research claims PV outperforms afforestation in combating climate change
Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.
REC closes Norwegian polysilicon production facilities
Solar manufacturer REC blames high electricity prices for the recent closure of two Nordic polysilicon production facilities.
Solar module prices may reach $0.10/W by end 2024
Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, speaks to pv magazine about the current steep trajectory of solar module prices. He estimates that PV panels prices will end up dropping by 40% this year and predicts the closure of old technology and sub-scale solar manufacturing facilities, both in China and globally.
New design for kesterite-kesterite tandem solar cells promises 24% efficiency
Scientists in China have designed a kesterite-kesterite solar cell with an optimized structure that may potentially achieve efficiencies nearing those of crystalline silicon PV devices. They improved the performance of the two subcells by adjusting band alignment at interfaces, selecting proper buffer layers, and adding a double layer to both devices.
Australia targets 32 GW of renewables with investment scheme
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced a major expansion of the Commonwealth-funded Capacity Investment Scheme that will now target 32 GW of renewable generation and storage capacity to support the nation’s clean energy transition.
Soltec introduces hail defense algorithm for solar trackers
Hail losses in the United States exceeded $1 billion in 2021.
