Solar cells built on dots and dashes of silver
A team from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering has reinvented the design of screen-printed contacts to reduce costs and silver consumption, without sacrificing the efficiency of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells.
Pathway to Singapore’s solar development
Singapore could import large quantities of low-cost solar power from neighbouring countries using undersea cables, with the indicative cost being competitive with gas generation. Unlimited world-class pumped hydro energy storage is available in neighbouring countries in the range 50-5000 GWh to support very large scale transmission.
Two-layer power trading mechanism to support distributed solar
Researchers in China have proposed a new hybrid transaction model for distributed power trading. The model encourages the participation of aggregators in market transactions for distributed resources and promotes the expansion of distributed energy storage.
India may introduce antidumping duties on PV glass from China, Vietnam
India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has proposed antidumping duties on solar glass imports from China and Vietnam. It says the landed cost of such imports aew lower than the selling prices and production costs of Indian manufacturers.
Photovoltaic noise barrier with ZigZag design
A Belgian-Dutch research group has designed a PV noise barrier that reportedly offers a good performance in terms of power yield, drivers’ safety and noise cancellation. Its payback time was estimated at between 6 and 10 years.
Hail-prone Texas solar project cuts insurance costs 72%
A case study by kWh Analytics demonstrated the value of building a resilient, weather-hardened solar facility.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Solar module exports hit 54.9 GW in Q3
China’s solar module exports fell to 16.53 GW in September, down 12% from August and 16% year on year, according to PV InfoLink. Third-quarter exports reached 54.9 GW, a 15% drop from the second quarter, but a 6% increase from the third quarter of 2023.
Austria deploys 1.4 GW of new solar in January-September period
Austria installed 1.4 GW of new PV capacity from January to September 2024, including around 400 MW added in the third quarter alone.
High pressure over Eastern Europe traps rain and cloud in the West
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that blocking high pressure over Eastern Europe in October created a strong east-west divide in solar irradiance across the continent. This led to notably lower irradiance due to persistent cloud cover and rainfall, especially across the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy.
Prefabricated modular balcony for PV systems
Spain-based Tecnalia has designed a balcony that integrates renewable energy systems, ventilation, and smart energy management. The innovative structure allows for the incorporation of sustainable technologies, providing both energy efficiency and environmental benefits.
