Researchers from UNSW and Longi have found that the silicon nitride layers used in TOPCon cell rear-side are particularly prone to chemical degradation from sodium contaminants. This can lead to significant open-circuit voltage losses and reduce cell efficiency.

BloombergNEF says global solar installations could reach 700 GW in 2025, with additions rising to 753 GW in 2026 and 780 GW in 2027.

Researchers in Western Australia have reviewed 36 mobile inspection robots for ground-mounted PV plants and have identified six commercial ground robots that are systematically used for this task. Their work presents the robots according to different types of locomotion, navigation technologies, communication technologies, and market status.

University of New South Wales researchers are part of an international team that has assessed the impact of soldering flux on heterojunction solar cells and has found that the composition of this component is key to prevent major cracks and significant peeling.

The global solar module industry is expected to regain a sustainable balance in the next six months, Yana Hryshko, head of Solar Supply Chain Research for Wood Mackenzie, told pv magazine. She explains why solar module prices may increase soon, suggesting that Tier 1 modules prices could reach USD 0.14/W to USD 0.15/W ($0.22/W to $0.24/W) by the end of this year, and discusses how consolidation is materialising within the global PV industry.

Radovan Kopecek, an expert on back-contacted (BC) solar cell and module technologies, spoke with pv magazine about BC manufacturing costs, efficiency and technical challenges. He believes that global BC solar module manufacturing capacity could reach 1 TW by 2030, potentially making BC products the industry’s mainstream technology. Kopecek added that 2028 will be a crucial year for its development, as most of the critical patents associated with this module tech will expire.

Deye said its new single-phase off-grid inverters have an AC output power ranging from 3.6 kW to 6 kW. The systems feature a maximum efficiency of 97.6% and a European efficiency rate of 96.5%.

JinkoSolar has sued Longi for patent infringement in Australia, its third legal action against the company this year, following filings in China and Japan. The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court of Australia, claims that Longi used an unspecified solar cell technology.

The Austrian manufacturer said its new Argeno inverter features an efficiency of 99.1%, a European efficiency of 98.7%, and a rated AC power output of 125 kW.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have used a 1 µm copper plating layer on the front silver grid of a TOPCon solar cell to create a protective barrier that reportedly reduces corrosion susceptibility. The cell showed significantly lower contaminant-induced degradation that unprotected reference devices.