World

Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.

Human Geographer Thilo Wiertz speaks to pv magazine on the particular features that characterised the trajectory of renewable energies after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. He emphasised how the geopolitical tensions arising from this conflict have reshaped the political debate about the energy transition, with the energy security perspective gaining in importance.

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, speaks to pv magazine about the current steep trajectory of solar module prices. He estimates that PV panels prices will end up dropping by 40% this year and predicts the closure of old technology and sub-scale solar manufacturing facilities, both in China and globally.

The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technology. As HJT production increases, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.

Fike Corp., a US industrial-hazard protection specialist, has launched Fike Blue, a tested, patented solution that suppresses battery fires and stops cascading thermal runaway.

University of New South Wales academic Aihua Wang is the first female recipient of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth Prize (QEPrize) for Engineering, after sharing the 2023 award with Andrew Blakers, Martin Green, and her husband Jianhua Zhao for their work developing the passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cell. pv magazine caught up with her to ask about the achievement.

Swedish battery maker Northvolt has developed its first sodium-ion battery. The cell has been validated for an energy density of more than 160 Wh/kg and is designed for energy storage applications.

Superannuation fund Rest has announced it will invest $1 billion (655 million) into Australian-owned renewable energy investor and developer, Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. The fund has a particular eye to green data storage centres.

Enphase’s new IQ8-3P solar microinverter offers peak power output of up to 480 W.

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.