Sustainability

Shifting requirements for supply chain traceability and carbon footprint disclosure, along with solar oversupply and unsustainably low module prices, have made 2024 a challenging year for PV manufacturers. Despite these obstacles, the industry remains committed to its crucial role in the global energy transition. pv magazine recently spoke with Haimeng Zhang, chief strategy and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) officer at Longi Green Energy, about how the sector is preparing to meet these challenges.

La Croisière Verte is the name of a 13,500 km expedition from the north to south of Africa in a fleet of four Citroën AMI vehicles, each carrying 5,600 W of lightweight PV panels in foldable packs.

Stanford University professor Mark Z. Jacobson spoke to pv magazine about testifying in support of young US climate activists and revealed which technologies he thinks will be most useful for the energy transition.

Worldwide, solar has an important part to play in preventing climate breakdown and reducing the frequency of extreme weather events. But the regions most vulnerable to these conditions face their own challenges in building resilient energy systems. The right approach to renewable energy development can reap multiple benefits in these regions, as pv magazine heard when it spoke to Kamal Kishore, Special Representative for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Dutch researchers used dynamic modelling to uncover the demand for silicon-based PV materials used in a wide range silicon PV technologies, including perovskite-silicon tandem and back-contact modules. The model included calculating the impact of advances in module efficiency and material intensity, as well as circular closed loop recycling.

The proposed system uses compressed air to store energy, as well as for the prevention of clogging in the irrigation tubes. Two experimental systems were built and tested in China and clogging was reduced by up to 93%.

Scientists have used hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processes to recover pure silver from solar cells. The proposed technique also utilizes a method known as electrodeposition-redox replacement, which reportedly increases the silver recovery rate.

Agriculture accounts for 21.5% of Brazil’s gross domestic product and 27% of its emissions. PV companies are now targeting an industry that represents 14% of the nation’s small-scale installations. With credit incentives and growing familiarity with the technology, agribusinesses and solar specialists are discovering new opportunities for collaboration.

Researchers in Morocco have examined the effects of an anti-reflective coating on solar panel performance under desert conditions and have found that it enhanced both the annual performance ratio and the energy yield by 2% and 5.5%, respectively. They have also found it to be durable and able to withstand dry cleaning methods under accelerated testing.

With the world’s islands already experiencing some of the worst effects of climate change, much could be learned from their ability to demonstrate the viability of 100% clean energy systems. Greening the Islands’ Gianni Chiannetta examines the case for two islands in the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean.