Manufacturing

The International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV) helps to predict future solar cell and module technology trends and is influential in directing research funding and technology investment. Scientists in Australia and the United Kingdom have analyzed ITRPV predictions over the past decade, highlighting the difficulties of forecasting PV trends.

Researchers from Western Australia’s Curtin University and Chinese module manufacturer Longi were part of an international team seeking silicon material savings and efficiency gains in the development of heterojunction PV devices. The cell achieved a certified power conversion efficiency of 26.06% with a thickness of 57 μm, with Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research confirming the result.

TrinaTracker, a division of Chinese manufacturing giant Trina Solar, says its new Vanguard 1P tracker system has a maximum length of 140 meters and can be equipped with N-type modules.

Australian minerals company Vecco Group will team with Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Electric and Idemitsu Australia to build an ‘end-to-end’ manufacturing supply chain for vanadium flow batteries in north Queensland.

Spain’s government has submitted a new incentive scheme to a public consultation. It is designed to support the development of a clean-tech supply chain in the country, including the production of batteries.

The New South Wales government has launched a $275 million initiative to stimulate local production and manufacturing of renewable energy generation, storage and transmission components as it seeks to deliver on the state’s clean energy ambitions.

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%.

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.

A UNSW study has shown that hotter temperatures, as result of climate change, means solar panels are at greater risk of degradation. Prolonged exposure to harsher outdoor conditions increase the cost of solar energy in hotter Australian regions.

PV manufacturing analysis is revealing that module prices can not “sustainably” fall significantly in 2024, without producers selling below cost. UK-based analysts Exawatt delivered the development last week, in a trend being observed by Australian market participants.