As rising renewables penetration and electrification place ever more strain on the world’s grids, the use of grid-forming inverters, rather than grid-following models, will play a vital role in network stability.

The need for long-duration energy storage in a net-zero world is undeniable but with conventional battery prices tumbling, can anything dislodge the mainstream grip of lithium ion? S&P Global’s Susan Taylor provides an update on non-lithium storage technologies.

Following the launch of its DeepBlue 4.0 Pro module series at Shanghai’s SNEC expo last year, manufacturing heavyweight JA Solar has revealed some of its latest line’s key performance improvements at a technology forum in Sydney this month. Performance highlights include module efficiencies of 22.8%, decreased degradation, improved temperature coefficients, and better low-light performance.

Chinese solar manufacturer Longi has responded to recent media reports claiming that it might cut 30% of its global workforce.

With solar panel prices tumbling, project developers will need to be vigilant about quality. Comprehensive product testing could be a vital safeguard as PV manufacturers struggle to retain their margins, according to Everoze’s Martin Laing and Gauthier Dambrine.

Indian manufacturer Premier Energies says its n-type TOPCon bifacial glass-backsheet modules are available in power outputs of 555 W to 590 W, with an efficiency rating of up to 22.83%.

Thursday, Feb. 22 marked another day in Australia’s energy records, along the Eastern seaboard. The hot and sunny conditions led to notable maximums in energy demand and supply.

With solar production capacity expansion plans paused, bigger cell makers will weather the storm through a revised approach to new panel technologies. InfoLink’s Alan Tu says that low profits could also drive innovation and cost savings, pushing the industry to new heights.

Australian nickel producers have an advantage over low-cost rivals in that production in the country is considerably more environmentally friendly than in neighbouring Indonesia. Nickel miners in Australia are currently facing low prices and fierce competition. Rob Nathan from Australian Tenders argues that sustainable nickel will be vital for the energy transition and is worthy of governmental support.

Half a million homes and businesses in Victoria were left without power late on Tuesday following a major power outage. While investigations are underway as to what worked well and what fell short of expectations, Roger Dargaville, the
director of the Monash Energy Institute at Monash University, says that the event demonstrated system strength.