Emiliano Bellini
Fraunhofer ISE develops front/back solar cell with 26.0% efficiency
The cell showed open-circuit voltage values of up to 732 mV. It was fabricated with a back junction (BJ) design with a full-area p-n-junction at the back surface.
Saudi Arabia’s second PV tender draws world record low bid of $.0104/kWh
The record low price was offered for the 600 MW Al Shuaiba PV IP project, which competed in the second round of the country’s procurement scheme for renewable energies.
UNIST, EPFL claim 25.6% efficiency world record for perovskite solar cell
Scientists have set a new efficiency record for a single-junction perovskite solar cell at 25.6%. The cell additionally showed operational stability for 450 hours, and intense electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of more than 10%.
JA Solar unveils 415 W solar module with 21.3% efficiency
The module can be used for residential and commercial PV projects. It is available in five versions with power outputs claimed by the company of 390-415 W and reported efficiencies of 20.0-21.3%.
IHS Markit forecasts 181 GW of new PV capacity for this year
The U.K.-based analyst has raised its outlook for new PV additions in 2021 by around 23 GW. Due to strong demand, leading module manufacturers are sold out for the first half of the year.
How to protect rooftop solar systems from fire risk
Dutch research institute TNO has released a series of guidelines to reduce fire hazards in rooftop PV installations. The study follows a series of fire accidents that occurred between 2018 and 2020 in the Netherlands, for which the main causes were identified.
Solar canals already competitive with ground-mounted PV
U.S. researchers have assessed the technical and economic feasibility of solar canals in California and have found that their LCOE is already close to that of ground-mounted solar plants. Three different project configurations were analyzed for eight different sites across the California network of canals.
Sungrow unveils 325 kW string inverter
The device will go into mass production in the second half of this year. It features an efficiency of 99.01% and is claimed to be the most powerful string inverter ever launched on the market to date.
Retrofitting solar parks for agrivoltaics
Enel Green Power is combining existing PV arrays with agriculture at nine pilot sites in Europe. pv magazine recently spoke to Giovanni Tula, the company’s head of sustainability, about the business model and its replicability.
Trina launches 670 W solar panel
The latest product in the Vertex series from the Chinese manufacturer has a power conversion efficiency of 21.6%.
