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The new module series has a power output ranging from 370 to 380 W, a temperature coefficient of -0.26% per degree Celsius, and an efficiency of up to 21.7%.

The devil is in the details, as they say, and when it comes to the next generation of mass-produced, high-efficiency PV cells, silver costs may be devilishly hard to reduce. Making things worse, prices for the precious metal are now heading in the wrong direction.

China’s project development segment is dynamic, to say the least. Having undergone significant changes toward a “subsidy-free” footing, developers are now facing requirements to integrate storage, deploy hybrid arrays, and pursue self consumption through BIPV and agrivoltaics applications, writes Frank Haugwitz, the director of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA).

According to the International Energy Agency, most of the global reductions in CO2 emissions between now and 2030 would come from technologies available today. In a recent report, the agency sets what it described as a “cost-effective and economically productive” pathway resulting in an energy economy “dominated by renewables like solar and wind.”

A prototype of a cement-based battery has been developed in Sweden for potential applications in buildings. Its creators claim it could become a solution to store electricity from rooftop PV and they do not exclude that it could also be used for the storage of large-scale renewables.

The deflagration-prevention system combines automatically controlled door locks with a smart controller which manages signals from fire safety inputs such as smoke, heat, or gas detectors. It is applicable from 50 kW to multi-megawatt cabinets.

In an interview with pv magazine, Indra Overland, the head of the Centre for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, explains how long-distance electricity and hydrogen transport differs from that of fossil fuels. He says strong Europe-North Africa connections could prove the viability of cables to connect continents, and notes that integration between countries and regions will increase.

Production on the new module, called Q.Tron, is expected to begin this year. The product is described as an evolution of the company’s Q.antum cell technology.

The most powerful of the two products has a power output of up to 380 W and an efficiency of 20.4%. For both panels, the temperature coefficient is -0.37%. The German manufacturer said the modules are produced at its manufacturing facility in Dresden.

US scientists have created a new design for lithium-metal, solid-state batteries that should avoid the formation of dendrites that grow into the electrolyte. Their multilayered battery could potentially recharge electric vehicles within 10 to 20 minutes.