2022

As research into non-rare metal catalysts continues, companies in northwest Europe are working on an offshore green hydrogen demonstration project, the first European data center to run on green hydrogen, and on hydrogen-based solutions for container transport. Meanwhile, European institutions are prepping for stronger hydrogen collaboration with Africa.

Recent BloombergNEF research shows that corporations procured a record 31GW of renewable energy in 2021, and LevelTen Energy says that growth occurred despite more than a year of price increases.

An initial intent to commission 28 local solar-plus-storage networks has now been stated as comprising “around 20” mini-grids, with delivery expected this year, rather than by the middle of the year.

The U.S. battery specialist has signed framework agreements with four developers to deliver systems for multiple projects.

Hoshine will invest $2.75 billion in the new polysilicon factory. Elsewhere, Irico New Energy today announced a strategic co-operation agreement with PV manufacturer Jinko Solar that will see it prioritize supply of solar panel glass.

The Q Peak Duo XL-G10 panel series is based on monocrystalline ‘Qantum’ half cells and is the company’s first panel relying on M6 wafers.

New research from Sweden showed that financing conditions and the choice of location are crucial factors in reducing the levelized cost of energy for utility scale solar parks built without subsidies in the Scandinavian country. According to the researchers, the project with the lowest LCOE in Sweden, of €0.02737/kWh, is a plant with an expected lifetime of 45 years, a 2% annual degradation rate, capex of €703,758 per megawatt installed, a yearly fixed operations and maintenance cost of €11,277 per megawatt, and a nominal weighted average cost of capital per annum of 0.2%.

TOPCon solar modules will gain more market share if their average efficiency, already higher than that of PERC panels, continues to improve, according to Stefan Glunz, PV research chief at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. In an upcoming pv magazine webinar on the potential of TOPCon tech, Glunz will show how to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Scientists in Spain have fabricated a silver bismuth sulfide (AgBiS₂) material with an absorption coefficient that is claimed to be 5-10 times greater than any other material currently used for PV technology. A cell built with these nanocrystals showed a power conversion efficiency of 9.17%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.495V, a short-circuit current of 26.75mA/cm², and a fill factor of 63%.

French start-up Rosi Solar has developed an industrial solution claimed to be capable of recovering high purity silicon, silver and copper contained in end-of-life PV modules. The company’s technology is based on a pyrolysis process that makes it possible to isolate the different metals from the cells.