Chinese PV Industry Brief: New glass capacity and a 20 GW wafer order
Flat Glass has activated two new glass furnaces that will bring its total production capacity to 8,600 MT per day. JinkoSolar has secured 20 GW of orders for its 182mm-wafer-based modules.
The best materials for carrier multiplication in solar cells
Researchers in the Netherlands have sought to identify all those semiconductor materials that may make the application of carrier multiplication in photovoltaics much more than a mere suggestion. According to them, the bandgap of the materials should be between 0.6–1.0 electronvolt (eV), which would result in maximum theoretical efficiency of around 44%. 2D and bulk materials were indicated as the most promising with near-ideal carrier multiplication.
Germany has 270,000 residential batteries linked to PV
Around 88,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year in the country, which supports residential batteries through a dedicated scheme.
Italian solar energy community benefits its members with up to €140/MWh in annual savings
The Italian regulation about renewable energy communities entered into force last December. Market operators are now working to establish renewable energy communities (RECs) in Italy. Ènostra coop is currently completing the feasibility study for the development of two RECs in Sardinia. pv magazine spoke with project manager Christian Bartolomeo.
Australian regulator credits renewables for electricity price decline
The Australian Energy Regulator says that investments in renewables and rooftop solar uptake are driving the ongoing decline in electricity prices.
India added 1.4 GW of PV in October-December period
India’s new solar capacity additions in the third quarter of the country’s 2020-21 fiscal year were well above the 928 MW installed in the preceding July-September quarter.
SunPower posts solid Q4 results as storage drives growth
SunPower’s distributed-generation services platform, as well as storage and digital solutions, will be key to its long-term growth, CEO Tom Werner said in an earnings call this week.
Geo-referenced approach to identify communities that can afford PV mini-grids
The novel methodology can be used for 71 countries located across ‘sun belt’ areas of east Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The model relies on 2014 and 2015 geo-referenced datasets in various formats and spatial resolutions, as well as on a population dataset based on global human settlements (GHSL) and World Bank national-level estimates of electrification.
Dualsun unveils 375 W photovoltaic-thermal panel with shingle tech
The panel features an efficiency of 20% and a thermal power of 600 W-thermal per square meter.
Large scale PV business grows bigger in Italy
Despite a difficult regulatory framework for utility scale solar, two new projects were announced in southern Italy this week. A 700 MW project is being planned by German companies Steag and KGAL and a 78 MW plant will be built by UK-based Lightsource BP. Both facilities will be located in Sicily.
