Manufacturing process for mono cast solar cell exceeding 23% efficiency
Trina Solar has made a PV cell by directly applying the unmodified i-TOPCon process, originally developed for Cz mono wafers, to cast n-type quasi-mono silicon wafers. It claims the average efficiency, tested in-house with a calibrated reference cell, is 22.98%.
Screen-printed heterojunction solar cell with 20.48% efficiency
Researchers from the United States have used new passivated contact architectures to demonstrate a screen-printed silicon heterojunction solar cell on 40 micron thick standalone wafers.
Indian manufacturers request duties on PV imports
India imported $1.3 billion worth of solar cells and modules from China in fiscal 2019-20, but domestic manufacturers are now demanding a level playing field to compete against cheaper imports.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Production expansion plans for Trina, JA Solar, ZNshine
Trina Solar said this week that it plans to expand cell production output by 10 GW at its factory in Jiangsu province, while JA Solar revealed plans to ramp up wafer production by 20 GW. ZNshine Solar, meanwhile, is aiming for 10 GW of new PV module capacity.
Solar modules with glass-enameled steel backs
U.S.-based Toledo Solar has secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research on lighter, steel-backed solar modules.
New PV cell architecture creates resistively bounded subcells
Solar Inventions, the winners of the first American-Made Solar Prize, plan to commercialize their newest product, which is claimed to reduce silver content and increase module power, while potentially saving manufacturers up to $1 million per year.
Fraunhofer ISE claims 25.9% efficiency for III-V tandem solar cell
The new results mark an improvement on the institute’s previous 24.3% efficiency record. The III-V tandem solar cell is directly grown on silicon.
The PV world 10 years ago – Summer Series Part IV
pv magazine editor Pilar Sánchez Molina takes a look at PV sector news from 10 years ago as part of an ongoing series. These insights bring back memories of an exciting, challenging period, while pointing to where we might be in 2030.
‘Spontaneous de-doping’ for 17.8%-efficient perovskite mini-module
U.S. scientists have found a new ‘de-doping’ process in perovskite solar cells that could cut production costs and produce better devices. They have used this to fabricate a mini-module with 17.8% efficiency.
Solar for parking machines
New Zealand researchers have proposed a way to assess the technical and economic feasibility of PV-powered parking machines. Solar might be an ideal solution, but the siting of the machines is critical and should be planned in advance, in line with available solar radiation and potential shading.
