Solar

A team at Fraunhofer ISE has created new imaging methods to measure losses in individual sub-cells of multi-junction solar cells based on perovskite-silicon and perovskite-perovskite-silicon combinations.

Researchers in Slovakia have demonstrated a machine-learning framework that predicts PV inverter output and detects anomalies using only electrical and temporal data, achieving 100% accuracy in classifying inverter output states under static operating conditions at a solar installation.

This week, Women in Solar+ Europe features Sonia de Sales, Director of Development at Spain’s Altano Energy. She emphasizes that implementing an equal-opportunities plan is key to ensuring open and fair recruitment, including balanced shortlists and actively sourcing female candidates when they are underrepresented, while hiring on merit and making it clearly visible

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Europe’s solar generation potential in November showed a strong east–west split, with Eastern Europe experiencing 15–20% below-normal irradiance due to persistent storms, while much of Western and Central Europe recorded 15–20% above-average levels under clearer conditions. The Atlantic coast was an exception, as Storm Claudia reduced irradiance to near or below average in Portugal, the British Isles, and parts of France and Spain.

Researchers at Tokyo University of Science showed that sodium-ion batteries with hard carbon anodes can charge faster than lithium-ion batteries by using a diluted electrode method that reveals sodium insertion is intrinsically quicker than lithium.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) explains how Australia’s rapid expansion of solar and wind energy has not increased wholesale electricity prices, which have remained stable since 2016. Rooftop solar, now widespread and highly cost-effective, provides the country with resilient, low-emission power, making all-electric homes increasingly independent from the grid.

China’s largest polysilicon producers have launched initial steps toward consolidation to curb overcapacity, but OPIS analyst Summer Zhang tells pv magazine that unresolved funding, capacity cuts and governance issues mean prices are likely to see only modest support in the near term without sustained capital injections and stronger downstream demand.

The German specialty glass and materials manufacturer announced a new cerium-doped solar cover glass that is compatible with a range of space solar cell technologies, including III-V and silicon-based concepts. It was developed for use in multiple satellite orbits.

The result concerns the company’s Comet 3N modules and has been confirmed by TÜV Nord in Germany.

The Australian firm has introduced single-phase 5 kW and 6 kW AC output storage systems, as well as three-phase 10 kW and 12 kW models. Storage capacities of the new products range from 5 kWh to 40 kWh.