Aussie entrepreneur launches 6 kW / 7.2 kWh mobile solar generator
Decarbon Venture, a startup cofounded by an outback-living Australian entrepreneur, has launched what it claims to be the world’s first “swappable” solar generator at half the weight and double the power rating of other products on the market.
How much will Australia realistically achieve with its critical minerals?
A panel of experts debated how plausible it is for Australia to enter the battery manufacturing space, and acting-CEO of one of the only companies to produce lithium hydroxide in Australia, IGO, discussed the acute challenges of setting up a refinery onshore during the WA Renewables and Critical Minerals Superpower Summit on Monday.
‘Really serious’ problems cybersecurity breaches pose in Australia’s DER near future
In two to three years, the number of DER control devices plugged into Australia’s national grid are predicted to hit critical mass, bringing with it the potential for wide-scale ramifications in the event of a successful cyberattack. The second in a two part series, pv magazine Australia outlines what the consequences could involve.
China solar module prices keep diving
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
‘Oversupply is a natural challenge to our industry,’ says Trina Solar official
Helena Li, president of Trina Solar’s global cell and module business, spoke to pv magazine at the recent SNEC trade show in Shanghai about the PV industry’s oversupply challenge. Li said the company is considering opening a factory in Europe and expressed optimism about future cost and price declines.
Thirty years of photovoltaic module degradation
Scientists in Europe have put together a comprehensive guide to PV module degradation, examining literature and case studies on the topic as far back as the 1990s. Their paper details the primary stress factors faced by modules in the field, the most common modes of degradation and failure, and provides clear definitions relevant to reliability, quality and testing standards. Among their key findings is that a full understanding of how combinations of different stresses over varying timeframes is still missing from methods to estimate and improve system reliability.
All solar cell efficiencies at a glance – Martin Green team update
The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 62 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are 21 new results reported in the new version, a record number for the Tables.
‘It could be a difficult time going forward for solar module makers’
In the second interview of a series held at Intersolar 2023, pv magazine spoke with Karen Tang, Director – Editorial Lead Europe at Singapore-based market research company OPIS, about current price trends in the industry. She said solar panels may soon be bought at an average of USD 0.185/W but she also revealed that offers under USD 0.15/W are now becoming more frequent. Furthermore, Tang said prices may continue to drop in the future, with the bottom line being difficult to determine. Much will depend on the actual manufacturing capacity we will see coming online, which may not match the huge number of recent announcements released by module producers.
CSIRO tests semi-transparent solar film at greenhouses to enhance growth conditions
The CSIRO has run an internal ‘Shark Tank’-style competition which will see it test semi-transparent, printed solar films at its greenhouses to assess whether the technology can be used to enhance crops’ growth and cut emissions.
Canadian Solar unveils 700 W bifacial TOPCon solar modules
Canadian Solar is offering six versions of its 132-cell TOPBiHiKu7 solar modules, with power outputs ranging from 675 W to 700 W and efficiencies ranging from 21.7% to 22.5%. They have an efficiency range of 26.1% to 27.0%, with a bifacial gain of 20%.
