Switzerland

The Swiss-headquartered power electronics firm will install a 230 kV digitally enable substation and connection bay at Brazil’s Juazeiro II substation, which will eventually deliver power from a 156 MW solar plant. 2017 full year financials reveal transitional year for firm.

According to preliminary financial figures released today, Swiss equipment provider Meyer Burger has registered a slight increase in sales for the full year 2017, improving on its 2016 net result. Nevertheless, the company is still reckoning with a significant loss for the year.

According to provisional figures released by Swissolar, solar demand remained stable in the country last year. Looking ahead, the association expects another 300 MW to be deployed this year.

Scientists working on perovskite solar cells at Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have proposed a method of standardization for the measurement of stability and degradation in perovskite solar cells, in order to create consensus and speed up commercialization of the technology.

Researchers at ETH Zürich have published a paper illustrating the potential for distributed energy systems with solar at their heart, as a replacement for the current centralized energy system.

Interview: Following the announcement earlier this month that Swiss production equipment supplier Meyer Burger has increased the power output of its HJT SmartWire module to 335W, pv magazine caught up with company CTO, Gunter Erfurt to understand more about the process, as well as the company’s longer-term tech roadmap.

In two separate studies, in the U.K. and Switzerland, respectively, the notion of combining solar power and trains has been explored. The results indicate it could offer a cost-competitive, energy saving alternative to the traditional power methods currently employed.

The group of scientists is adopting organic cations, instead of inorganic cations like cesium or rubidium, to stabilize the crystal structures of perovskites with solar applications.

Following a consultation process with employees, Meyer Burger has announced 100 jobs will definitely go as part of the closure of its Swiss manufacturing site. Another 60 positions are dependent on strategic alternatives being found.

According to Swissolar, this change will allow more PV capacity to be deployed, as waiting times for the implementation of FIT contracts are considerably increasing. Self-consumption is also becoming more attractive for multi-family houses and commercial enterprises.