Phoenix Solar awarded contracts in Australia and U.S.
The German PV company has received the order for a 39 MW solar plant in Australia. Meanwhile in the U.S., Phoenix Solar has been negotiating two other projects.
Swiss researchers testing planted rooftop areas in combination with PV systems
Scientists in Switzerland are testing the optimum use of combined PV systems and planted flat rooftop areas, and how both systems affect each other. A first prototype has been installed on a roof of a senior citizen residence in the country.
Photon Energy is developing a 316 MW PV power plant in Australia
The 590-ha-project is currently undergoing several studies and procedures. Yet it is not clear when construction of the power plant will begin nor whether Photon Energy oversees installation of the panels.
Patent lodged for natural photosynthetics for power generation
Solar microbial fuel cells can generate electric power by photosynthetic and storage this to be used later when there is no sun.
Zambia receives $34.8 Million from German KfW
The funding is to be used to implement a Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFiT)-Strategy. Zambia aims to attract investors to overcome the energy crisis and to generate power sustainably.
Austria´s new PV installations reaches 156 MW in 2016
A small increase of 2.6 % was recorded in the Central European country last year. The Austrian Photovoltaic Association is still calling for an adjustment of the state´s Green Electricity Act to unleash the limited PV extension.
NASA tests new roll-out solar array in space
The space agency has successfully deployed its new roll out solar array in space for testing. The new panels are lighter and more flexible than the standard folded arrays on older satellites.
Bernreuter Research: Silicon consumption drops to 3.6 grams/W by 2020
The use of diamond wire significantly reduces wafer saw losses. Some photovoltaic manufacturers have begun to switch their production, after technical problems appear to have been resolved.
New alloy could pave the way for next generation solar cells
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new semiconductor alloy that can capture near-infrared light in the leading edge of the visible light spectrum. This could be a major step forward the development of a new generation of solar cells called “concentrator photovoltaics”.
GCL-SI achieves 20.1% efficiency for its PERC solar cells in mass production
The Chinese PV manufacturer has achieved a new efficiency breakthrough for its PERC solar cells, with the help of nanostructured black silicon. GCL-SI plans to reach an efficiency of up to 21.0% by the end of this year.
