solar cell

The Kazakh state-owned national atomic energy company is seeking to sell its solar manufacturing units for the second time.

Five scientific institutions in Germany are currently working together on self-learning production plants that use process data for the permanent optimization of manufacturing. The initiative is aimed at making the settlement of photovoltaic factories in Germany and Europe attractive again.

Scientists in Turkey have tested a transient thermal model to predict PV module temperature during a five-day interval in June. The model considers the heat capacity of a PV module, which is usually not provided by manufacturers in their product sheets, as a parameter for temperature prediction.

Australian scientists have developed an algorithm to increase both the efficiency and compatibility of light sensitizers in solar panels.

A new paper from scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) examines the entire history of PERC technology, from its beginnings in laboratories more than 40 years ago to today, where it represents the majority of all PV cell production. And this story is far from over, as ISE lays out a pathway to efficiencies of 26% as well as use as the bottom cell in a tandem device that it believes will keep PERC technology in mass production to 2030 and beyond.

A huge renewable energy complex is planned to include 5 GW of PV capacity. Furthermore, the State Power Investment Corporation has announced a plan to set up a 5 GW heterojunction solar cell factory in Fujian province.

The Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin set a world record for perovskite-silicon tandem cell efficiency last year at 29.15%. The group has delved further into the cell materials, looking to better understand mechanisms behind the impressive efficiencies achieved so far. Their latest work shows that with the current cell design, long term stability at efficiencies up to 32.4% should be possible.

An international research team has set up a new database with crucial data on emerging technologies for perovskite, organic, and dye-sensitized solar cells. The platform also includes information on the best flexible solar cells.

The two companies have concluded a settlement after several years of stalling. Ecosolifer will pay for part of the cell production line ordered in 2015 but Meyer Burger will incur a net loss of almost CHF2 million.

Scientists in Japan put perovskite solar cells under the microscope, aiming to observe at the molecular level the degradation mechanisms that can occur during operation. Their findings offer an improved understanding of performance loss in perovskite thin films, as well as several pathways towards mitigation.