A team of scientists at the University of Kansas has developed a method to boost the lifetime of excited electrons in graphene, a development which the team alleges could lead to the development of highly efficient, ultrathin solar cells.

As more states adopt ambitious renewable power and storage targets, hopes increase for continued market opportunities beyond the ITC. In the mid-term, the overall market opportunity is clear. At IHS Markit, we project 73 GW of solar PV systems will be installed in the United States from 2018 to 2022.

Researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a process for depositing a perovskite layer onto a silicon solar cell, which it says has already resulted in the creation of a 25.2% efficient tandem cell.

U.S. high efficiency specialist Alta Devices has announced the achievement of a 28.9% efficient single junction cell, based on its lightweight gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology. Alta’s solar cells are designed for integration into unmanned air vehicles and other autonomous systems.

A team of researchers from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany has published research into a physical-chemical process known as singlet fission, which it says could boost solar efficiency by as much as 50%.

A report published this week by the UK’s Committee on Climate Change warns that the country is currently not on course to meet emissions reduction targets set out in its Carbon Budget legislation; and outlines a series of actions it believes the government should take in order to get back on track.

A team of scientists led by Russia’ National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) has made a discovery that allows them to better control excitons in a multi-layered semiconductor. In time, the discovery could lead to the development of unique new solar cell materials.

German battery manufacturer, Tesvolt and EPC Unlimited Energy won the Smarter E award last week, for their innovative off-grid solar plus storage project in South Western Australia. The project demonstrates how solar can provide a reliable energy supply without back up from the grid, and why it is set to spread around the world even faster than many predict.

U.K.-Germany based Oxford PV has announced the achievement of 27.3% efficiency on its perovskite-silicon tandem cell. The record has been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

At last week’s Intersolar Europe show in Munich, Norwegian headquartered manufacturer REC Group unveiled its latest module innovation, the N-peak series. The new solar PV modules will be the first to combine n-type, mono-cSi and half-cut cell technologies.