European Solar Manufacturing Council urges EU to adopt law against forced labor in PV industry
The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) is urging the European Union to adopt legislation against forced labor in the PV industry, by explicitly calling for measures to prevent solar products produced with forced labor from entering the European market.
New research questions priority dispatch for solar PV during peak loads
Swiss scientists claim no distribution grid expansion is needed to increase the share of solar PV in energy systems, but they warn that priority dispatch for PV during peak loads may become a serious issue in the years to come. Among a range of recommendations, they proposed reducing peak loads by developing grid-serving behavior with PV system owners having to do their part.
P-type solar products may be phased out by 2026 as n-type tech ‘rapidly’ expands
The rise of cost-effective TOPCon cell technology last year led to a ‘surge’ in production demand for solar n-type cell technology, with leading industry analysts TrendForce prophesying PERC cell capacities ‘may’ be phased out in two to three years. The company’s experts, however, warn that oversupply for p-type cells and modules may increase the price gap between n-type and p-type products in the upcoming months.
Vehicle integrated PV system for retractable car-roofs
At a recent automobile industry event, Germany-based Webasto announced its retractable vehicle integrated PV system for car-roofs was integrated into a new electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) by an undisclosed US equipment manufacturer.
Q Energy begins work on Europe’s largest floating PV plant
Q Energy says it will deploy a 74.3 MW floating PV array in northwestern France. The project should take around 18 months to complete, with commissioning scheduled for 2025.
Hydrogen stations can avoid unplanned shutdowns with predictive models
New research from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) focuses on a specific model that uses data to reduce the frequency of unscheduled maintenance, while increasing the frequency of preventive maintenance.
Qvantum plans heat pump factory in Hungary
Swedish manufacturer Qvantum has announced plans to set up a heat pump factory in Hungary. The new facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of 1 million heat pumps.
Hyet Solar raises capital for building solar factory in Netherlands
Dutch thin film silicon manufacturer, Hyet Solar, has raised €29 million ($31 million) with Invest-NL contributong €14.5 million of venture debt financing in the round. The company will use the funds to deploy a 40 MW production line at its facility in Arnhem, Netherlands.
Gautam Solar introduces n-type TOPCon solar module series
The Indian manufacturer released product lines for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications.
Solar energy in the real world – EUPVSEC 2023
Practical matters, beyond simply improving on solar cell efficiency, have led the agenda at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EUPVSEC) going on this week in Lisbon. Policy and the geopolitics of solar manufacturing is the big question on everybody’s lips as the event passes its halfway point today. Concerns including grid integration, critical materials consumption, and public acceptance are all being aired frequently – illustrating a closer than ever link between work being done in the labs at solar energy institutes and the everyday lives and energy consumption of people in Europe and around the world.
