Magazine Archive 06 - 2023 | High time for a masterplan

The world’s most efficient energy network, at an Antarctic research base, has had a solar upgrade, reports Tristan Rayner.

The first batch of entries is in. Here are some of the best from the modules, balance of system (BOS), projects, battery energy storage system (BESS), and inverters award categories. Our expert juries have not yet picked any winners and we are taking a summer break from receiving new entries. There will be another chance to enter in September and the winners will be announced at the end of the year.

In May 2022, PV experts from around the world convened in Germany for the third Terawatt Workshop. Almost one year later, takeaways from discussions at the workshop – combined with a wide-ranging review of research on decarbonization pathways, energy demand projections, and the state of the art in PV technology – have led to the conclusion that 75 TW of installed solar capacity by 2050 is a realistic global target. More than 50 leading PV industry figures recently outlined the opportunity and the challenges that solar will face in reaching this goal.

Tongwei Solar, which is dedicated to its “green production concept,” presented its new modules at the 16th SNEC PV Power Expo in Shanghai.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) set a world record in April with a perovskite-silicon tandem cell efficiency of 33.2%, making it the third entity to push the technology past 30%. Stefaan De Wolf, KAUST Professor of Material Science and Engineering, speaks to pv magazine about the achievement and the latest advances in tandem cell tech.

China could be set to respond to protectionist moves by solar rivals by restricting exports of big wafer technology. Vincent Shaw considers how effective such a move might be and how valuable a bargaining chip it could be for Beijing.

AikoSolar was initially known as a PERC cell manufacturer but it has since moved to the top of the rankings for global PV cell shipments and has turned its focus to all back contact (ABC) technology. The company is quickly becoming a top player for ABC modules in the industry, with a research institute and a logistics center in Europe.

The growth of European rooftop solar continues this year, with innovative companies raising capital to develop the market. It’s an encouraging trend with the potential to accelerate rooftop solar adoption. pv magazine correspondent Valerie Thompson takes a closer look.

Reshoring the PV supply chain is as important to European energy security as ending reliance on Russian gas, because solar is a central pillar of the continent’s clean energy transition. Yet a domestic skills shortage, a lack of industrial facilities, and weak financial support have left the European Union reliant on imports from China, says Javier Sanz, a thematic leader for renewables at EU research body EIT InnoEnergy.