Solarwatt obtains ‘cradle-to-cradle’ certification for its glass-glass solar modules
The ‘cradle-to-cradle’ certification is considered a globally recognised holistic product quality standard. The assessment is made for five categories: material health, recyclability of materials, energy management and CO2 emissions, water management and social responsibility
Reverse bias – a hidden challenge for perovskite solar cell stability
Research from renowned PV scientist Martin Green and colleagues at UNSW reveals that perovskite solar cells may struggle to deal with reverse-bias caused by uneven shading or other issues likely to appear in the field. Both the reverse-bias itself and resulting build up of heat can cause several of the materials commonly used in perovskite solar cells to degrade, and these issues have received only limited attention in research published to date. Solutions, however, are at hand.
PV industry needs 12 times more polysilicon production capacity by 2050
New research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) predicts cumulative polysilicon demand of 46-87 Mt will be required to achieve 63.4 TW of PV installed by 2050.
Start-up unveils solar thermal panel for large-scale applications
The panel has an absorption area of 1.96 m2 and a weight of 27 kg per square metre. According to the manufacturer – Swiss start-up TVP Solar – it may be a real booster for thermal output, by combining it with photovoltaics and heat pumps to provide enhanced output per square meter, in particular for low-temperature applications such as district heating.
New kind of black silicon shows improved light-trapping properties
Scientists in Russia have developed a new wide-band optical absorber called ‘black silicide’ which they claim is more adjusted to match AM-1.5 solar spectrum with theoretically higher photogenerated current density. It could be used for tandem operation in photovoltaic devices.
Portable flexible PV systems for off-grid, residential applications
US startup New Use Energy Solutions has launched a new line of portable PV systems built with a module technology relying on Sunpower’s solar cells. The modules are assembled in the system via a custom vinyl tarp.
Weekend read: Global module demand to hit 240 GW in 2022
Despite polysilicon shortage-induced high module prices, the market saw strong demand in the usually slower summer season this year, due to the global race to net-zero emissions. Corrine Lin, chief analyst at PV InfoLink, expects demand to reach 240 GW, with China and Europe set to contribute more than 80 GW and 50 GW, respectively. Together with the United States, which has paused the introduction of new solar tariffs, the three largest markets will dominate nearly 70% of global demand.
JA Solar test reveals n-type panels outperform p-type counterparts
Chinese manufacturer JA Solar said that tests have shown that n-type modules have a 3.9% higher power yield than their p-type counterparts. Germany-headquartered technical service provider TÜV Nord has confirmed the results.
Behind-the-scenes look at solar panel production shines light on Australian manufacturing
With the International Energy Agency leading calls to diversify the world’s solar PV supply chain, Australia’s only solar panel maker Tindo Solar has released a video following the manufacturing process at its new $11 million production facility in Adelaide.
Small cracks have negligible effect on solar cell performance
A team of researchers from the United Kingdom have found that crack percentages of up to 11% have a very limited impact on solar cell performance. They also ascertained that hotspots are likely to arise when the crack percentage is in the range of 11 to 34%.
