World

The new efficiency record for fully roll-to-roll printed perovskite solar cells set by an international team of scientists from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO unlocks new manufacturing potential. These lightweight and flexible solar cells manufactured on very long, continuous rolls of plastic can dramatically increase the rate of production and scope for deployment.

A unit of French construction group Vinci has developed a new tool to ensure efficient earthworks for ground-mounted PV systems, with a focus on optimization parameters, design restrictions, allowable slopes for mounting structures, and terrain adaptation.

The production of PV ingots and wafers remains the most highly concentrated of all the production stages in the silicon solar supply chain. Yet efforts to re-establish production in Europe and the United States are not for the faint-hearted.

Sunova Solar’s new cell manufacturing facility produces 182 mm, 199 mm and 210 mm TOPCon cells. At full capacity, the facility is expected to produce approximately 36,000 high-efficiency modules per day.

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.

With solar panel prices tumbling, project developers will need to be vigilant about quality. Comprehensive product testing could be a vital safeguard as PV manufacturers struggle to retain their margins, according to Everoze’s Martin Laing and Gauthier Dambrine.

Trina Storage has developed a 4.07 MWh energy storage system featuring its in-house 306 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery cells, configured with 10 racks of four battery packs.

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.

In updated figures, BloombergNEF finds that 444 GW of new PV capacity was installed globally in 2023. It says new installations could reach up to 574 GW this year, in its most optimistic forecast, 627 GW in 2025, and 880 GW in 2030.

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.