Manufacturing

Lead times for utility-scale inverter power stations have recently ballooned from around six months on average to as long as 18 months today. Pv magazine Australia spoke to top manufacturers, including SMA, Ingeteam, and others on the compounding causes of the blowouts and what’s to be done.

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 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%.

Some of the renewable energy industry’s biggest players have donated equipment, expertise and time to provide a solar and storage solution to help preserve and protect the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s seven natural wonders.

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.

First Solar has announced a limited production run of the “world’s first” bifacial solar panel with a cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor. The pre-commercial Series 6 Plus Bifacial module is making its debut this week at Intersolar Europe in Munich, Germany.

Australian battery material start-up Sicona Battery Technologies will accelerate commercial development plans both here and in the United States after securing financial support from a group of international investing heavyweights for its silicon-composite anode technology designed to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

The value of critical minerals companies listed on the ASX has hit $86.2 billion (USD 58.3bn), just scraping above the value of companies within the All Ordinaries Gold Index. Australia risen to the booming demand for these minerals, but experts have urged caution.

SolarEdge has released new optimisers for residential PV applications with a DC power rating of 500 W, a maximum efficiency of 99.5%, and a weighted efficiency of 98.6%. The optimiser for commercial and industrial applications offers 1.4 kW of rated DC power.

Recharge Industries, which had hoped to begin construction on its Geelong lithium-ion gigafactory this year, is reportedly refocusing its manpower on British endeavours. Despite Australia’s growing rhetoric around capturing more of the battery value chain, companies in the space are turning attention overseas.