PVcase raises $100 million to fuel expansion
PVcase, a Lithuania-based solar project software company, raised $100 million to expand the market for its platform and extend its capability.
European solar manufacturers secure EU financial support
Norsun and Midsummer have both secured financing to support their capacity expansion plans. Norway’s Norsun plans to raise its polysilicon capacity to 3 GW and Midsummer wants to build a 200 MW module facility in Sweden.
Collimated solar simulator for curved photovoltaic panels
Researchers in Spain assembled an experimental solar simulator for vehicle-integrated and curved solar panels. They found that the measurements of the short-circuit current of the cells followed the ideal cosine response of the curvature with differences lower than 0.5%.
Fully printed carbon electrode perovskite solar cell achieves 19.2% efficiency
German scientists have fabricated a carbon electrode perovskite solar cell with a hole-transporting bilayer made of organic semiconductors instead of a conventional hole transport layer. They claim this approach improves the device’s fill factor and open-circuit voltage.
Ground mounted agrivoltaics have minimal impact on grassland carbon-water cycling
A US-Spanish research team studied the ecological effect of a solar photovoltaic array located on a managed grassland plot using a hydraulic and soil hydrology model and field measurements. They found minimal effect on the plants’ carbon-water cycling, which they attributed to plant photosynthetic traits changing to take advantage of the dynamic shading under the panels.
New study finds growing inequality in metal footprints of renewable power value chains
A US-Chinese research team has investigated the flow of iron, copper, aluminum, and other precious metals from source to end-use destination in the renewable energy infrastructure value chain. It found significant imbalances that can be attributed to the continuous outsourcing of metal demand for the renewable power sector to developing economies.
Commercial laser treatment to boost perovskite solar cell performance
European scientists used a nanosecond pulsed ultraviolet laser to reduce surface defects in perovskite films for solar cell applications. The result is a significant increase in cell efficiency and stability. The new technique may be particularly suitable for roll-to-roll (R2R) production lines.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Hoshine to make solar panels at new 8 GW factory
Hoshine says it will build its first solar panel factory in Jiaxing, China’s Zhejiang province.
Esdec Solar unveils mounting system for C&I solar
CPX, a unit of Netherlands-based Esdec Solar, has developed a new mounting system with a long-side clamping system for large modules. The manufacturer claims that the new structure reduces the number of required assembly steps.
Insolight completes agrivoltaic plant at raspberry farm
Swiss startup Insolight said that it has finished a new agrivoltaic pilot project in Lucerne, Switzerland. It said it will monitor the facility for three years to assess PV performance and its impact on agriculture.
