PV modules

The new multifunctional PV window concept aims to produce electricity while providing over-heating protection for better indoor thermal and visual comfort. It consists of an insulating glazing unit with bifacial crystalline silicon solar cells strips and embedded venetian blinds that act as reflectors for the rear side of the cells.

New research from China shows that ultra-narrow interconnections may considerably improve organic PV performance. The scientists built a 11.08 cm2 panel with an impressive geometric fill factor of 98%.

France-based PV manufacturer Carbon is currently involved in patent proceedings with JA Solar over tunneling silicon oxide (SiO2) layers, doped polysilicon layers, and electrodes in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar products.

Conceived an international research group, the proposed model uses the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture U-Net for image segmentation and the the CNN architecture InceptionV3-Net for fault classification.

Recent research conducted by Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE on agrivoltaics show that not only did the crops grown under the PV panels benefit from the partial shading, but also that the PV system produced more electricity than previously assumed thanks to the cooling provided by the plants underneath.

China Resources Power has finalized its 1 GW module procurement for 2024 with Astronergy, while China Power Construction has secured 1.5 GW of n-type heterojunction (HJT) modules through a separate tender.

Spain’s Gonvarri Solar Steel claims that its new single-row tracker can improve structural stability and performance in adverse conditions.

Tokyo-based startup Girasol Energy and the enterprise bureau of Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture have repowered Japan’s oldest PV system, a 100 kW array built in 1993. The project aimed to partially replace the original 13.3% efficient solar modules, offering an alternative to dismantling and recycling the system’s components.

Researchers in Sweden have measured barney yield in a vertical agrivoltaic facility and have found that despite the shade created by the modules the yields are comparable to open-field control conditions, if not slightly higher. Their methodology can be replicated for other sites and crops.

Using atomic layer deposition, a research team from the City University of Hong Kong has created an an oxygen-deficient tin oxide layer to replace the more common fullerene electron transport layer in perovskite solar cells. The result is a 25%-efficient device that is able to retain around 95% of its efficiency after 2,000 h.