solar technology

Lawyers are doing brisk business as tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar technology moves into the mainstream. A series of patent infringement cases have been launched in the United States and Europe and their impacts are reverberating through the marketplace. How likely is it that winners will emerge?

Researchers led by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) recorded an 11% efficiency on 50 cm² large-scale solar panels consisting of optimized roll-to-roll fabricated hybrid perovskite solar cells.

Reports of broken module glass with no obvious cause have begun to crop up at large PV projects. Module design, glass manufacturing, and interactions in the field between modules and trackers are at play and a clear solution has yet to emerge. Early signs suggest an update to certification standards may be needed.

China’s solar industry rebounded in 2023 after years of pandemic-related sluggishness. As the year draws to a close, pv magazine looks back at key highlights of 2023 and considers the prospects for 2024.

In the land of a thousand lakes and long, harsh winters, a surprising gold rush is under way – not for precious metals but for sunlight. Finland, often associated with its stunning natural landscapes, has become an unlikely contender in the global renewable energy market, particularly in the realm of solar power.

While people rush to embrace every new generation of smartphones, we are often content to rely on aging solar projects to carry the energy transition. Tomaso Charlemont, product manager for PV repowering and revamping at German developer BayWa re, asks why.

Everoze Partner Abdul Sotayo highlights some of the issues that continue to hold back progress on clean energy in Nigeria, where energy poverty remains a problem, despite the nation’s vast solar potential.

A new generation of flexible, lightweight modules is entering the market. With back contact technology offering its own form of design flexibility and robustness, the new products could crack a hard-to-address market segment.

Thin-film technologies have long promised to make a major impact on the solar industry but have largely been constrained to niche applications and research labs if they were not shredded by the market. After several false starts, current trade dynamics and promising research programs may help solar thin films find their place in the sun.

Tony Danker, head of the Confederation of British Industry, in January warned the UK is at risk of squandering the vast economic opportunities available to nations investing in the energy transition. Christophe Williams, CEO of solar thermal company Naked Energy agrees, and here spells out some of the urgent actions Rishi Sunak’s government must take to place solar thermal – and PV – at the heart of a green revolution.