Solar PV

1Komma5° says it plans to start production at a new TOPCon solar module factory in Germany from next year. The Hamburg-based startup aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 1 GW, with further expansion targets set to reach 5 GW by the year 2030.

Consultancy firm, the Becquerel Institute, recently switched on its European Solar PV Data Hub, an online tool aiming to provide clear information about the solar PV industry. The organization’s COO, Philippe Macé, told pv magazine that the platform aims to provide users a way to access solar PV market data ‘easily,’ its other purpose is to shrink the industry’s ‘information gap.’

Heliup has raised €10 million ($10.5 million) to finance the construction of a PV panel manufacturing facility at an unspecified location in France.

A group of researchers from Belgium performed a complementarity analysis for offshore wind power combined with floating photovoltaics. The team found that complementarity is strong on weekly and monthly timescales, and that it can increase under certain climate change scenarios. Assuming a full permanent transmission loading capability, the researchers calculated that a 3 GW floating solar plant added to the existing wind power in the Belgian North Sea would increase the renewable electricity yield by 47% while occupying only a limited surface area.

Spanish researchers claim to have established new measurement methods to assess the performance degradation of PV modules without the need for removing and reinstalling the tested PV modules from their operating positions. The new approach is claimed to increase productivity in PV plant quality control activities.

Philippine government’s National Irrigation Administration revealed that two canal-top solar arrays for irrigation purposes were recently commissioned. It also said that 147 solar-powered irrigation projects in the country will be delivered by the end of the year, with 183 in the pipeline for 2024.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new LiFePo4 battery is IP66-rated and has a lifecycle of more than 6,000 cycles. It comes with a 10-year warranty.

JinkoSolar has launched an all-in-one battery solution for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar applications. It includes a new outdoor cabinet that integrates battery packs, a management system, a power conversion system, and firefighting equipment. The system offers 215 kWh of battery capacity and up to 100 KW of rated power output.

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.

Kyocera has moved into the PV generation business by announcing plans to procure surplus solar from owners of rooftop PV systems in Japan, so it can provide it to businesses through power purchase agreements (PPAs).