Manufacturing

Enhanced module appearance and power output can be achieved by a smart cell interconnection technique Longi is employing in its Hi-MO5 module series. But as with all new technologies, there are potential pitfalls.

Solar manufacturing powerhouse Trina Solar’s focus on 210mm wafer-based solar PV technology continues unabated with the Chinese giant introducing trackers into the Australian market that are compatible with the new, larger-format modules.

The latest product in the Vertex series from the Chinese manufacturer has a power conversion efficiency of 21.6%.

The new panel is manufactured with M6 wafers. It features a power conversion efficiency of 20.1% and a temperature coefficient of -0.347% per degree Celsius.

A British-Egyptian research group has tested the use of hydrogels beads for PV module cooling. The micro-sized particles were saturated with aluminium oxide (Al2O3) water-based nanofluids and placed below the simulated PV panels. The experiment showed, according to the scientists, that the hydrogels beads were able to significantly reduce the temperature by between 17.9 and 16.3 degrees Celsius.

Not all rooftops can bear the weight of glass PV modules. Some others have curves and shapes ill-suited to uniform, bulky panels. Flexible modules have long been advanced as the solution here, however the keys to unlocking this potential have proven elusive.

With increasing numbers of decommissioned solar PV modules threatening a waste management nightmare, researchers at the University of South Australia are spearheading a national push to establish a stewardship scheme designed to manage the impacts of PV systems through their life cycle.

With battery energy storage systems playing an increasingly critical role in the nation’s renewable energy transition, fledgling lithium-ion battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance has welcomed a Federal Government initiative designed to boost processing of critical minerals needed for batteries, solar panels and wind turbines and build the country’s manufacturing capability.

Just as Australia thought it’s pioneering days were over, it has become the first country in the world to sell American giant General Electric’s new solar inverters.

Chris Bowen, who was appointed Labor’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy after a reshuffle in January, told pv magazine Australia he’s keen to make job creation his core focus, framing renewable investment as a Covid recovery solution rather than the end of Australia’s historic coal mining industry, which has dominated Federal narrative.