Tesla solar business hits new lows in revenue, deployment
It was a series of firsts, including a strong full year and Megapack turning a profit, that factored into CEO Elon Musk explaining that he has “never been more optimistic or excited about the future of Tesla.” Austin, Texas, has been confirmed as the site of the next Gigafactory.
Pushing the boundaries of PV cell sensitivity
Scientists in Australia and the United States have managed to ‘upconvert’ light from below the silicon bandgap into high-energy light that can be captured by silicon solar cells.
India installed 7.6 GW of solar in the last fiscal year, and plans another 8 GW by April
Some 5.9 GW of utility scale PV generation capacity was added in 2019-20, plus 1.7 GW of rooftop solar, with domestic module manufacturers enjoying around 40% of the market.
A car park PV folding roof to recharge electric vehicles
The first Horizon folding rooftop has been installed above a parking lot in Switzerland, where it will generate power for on-site consumption, including EV charging.
Tandem solar modules vs commercial crystalline
Researchers in France have tried to predict the competitiveness of tandem PV modules against commercial crystalline products in 2030. Crystalline products will be 22-24% efficient in a decade, according to the researchers, possibly 25% if interdigitated back-contact heterojunction versions become mainstream. To compete, tandem devices will need to offer similar life spans and degradation rates, plus efficiencies of 30%.
Brazil eliminates import duties for cells, modules, inverters and trackers
The Brazilian government has u-turned over solar equipment import duty by introducing a measure to remove the 12% levy for 101 types of module plus some inverters and trackers. President Jair Bolsonaro had vetoed a similar proposal by the Senate and House of Representatives in November, stating it would be too costly.
New York launches largest renewable solicitation in US history
4 GW of offshore wind and land-based renewables are set to come to the Empire State, as governor Andrew Cuomo looks to achieve the state’s renewable energy mandates while also kickstarting a post-Covid economy.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Risen plans 13 GW output expansion, Datang reveals tender results
Risen Energy has announced plans to expand its annual cell and module output by 13 GW. Datang, meanwhile, has published the results of the module tender it held for this fiscal year.
Germany reinstates regular solar tender schedule
The extraordinary measure of not publishing the results of successful project bids – brought in during the Covid-19 crisis – is set to be lifted from September, when the projects allocated in procurement rounds over the last five months will be made public.
Vikram Solar plans 3 GW wafer, cell and module fab in Tamil Nadu
The engineering, procurement and construction services contractor – which has a 1.2 GW module production facility near Kolkata – will establish the factory under a five-year timescale.
