According to the manufacturer, the new Inverter Ducted Split (IDS) Ultra heat pump can provide 100% heating capacity at an outdoor temperature of -15 C and can operate down to – 25 C.

Meyer Burger, a Switzerland-based heterojunction cell and panel manufacturer, says it will stop making PV modules in Germany, but it will continue to produce solar cells in the country to support its panel production operations in the United States.

New figures from the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV) show that China can now produce tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) PV modules for between $0.160/W and $0.189/W. Costs in Europe, India and the United States, by contrast, could be as low as $0.243/W, $0.281/W, and $0.195/W, respectively. ETIP PV made the comparison based on production at a 10 GW integrated PV factory.

Mitsubishi’s monobloc Hydrolution EZY can reportedly produce domestic hot water up to 60 C when outdoor temperatures reach -25 C. It is available in two versions, with outputs of 10 kW and 14 kW.

Researchers in Hungary have proposed to build photovoltaic trees with a significant distance between the solar panels. The proposed sunflower-shaped design reportedly reduces shading losses between the panels while improving cooling and heat dissipation.

Fly Solartech Solutions Srl’s new 60-cell modules have a power conversion efficiency of 17.87% and a temperature coefficient of -0.27% per degree Celsius. The company offers the panels with 300 W, CEI-021-certified microinverters featuring 96.5% peak efficiency.

ISC Konstanz researchers say their new n-type tunnel back contact (TBC) solar cell features polycrystalline silicon TOPCon contacts on both polarities. The results still need to be confirmed by an independent third party.

Scientists in Czechia have proposed to use parallel inverters in PV systems to not only reduce instability, but also to increase power yield. The proposed approach reportedly results in higher maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance.

Prices for p-type PERC solar panels could cross the €0.10 ($0.1093)/W threshold in the first quarter of 2024, says Leen van Bellen, business development manager Europe for Search4Solar, a Dutch purchasing platform for PV products. He told pv magazine that European stocks are expected to shrink, and that prices should recover in the middle of the second quarter of 2024.

Scientists in Australia have combined Monte Carlo Ray Trace (MCRT) techniques and electrical modeling to assess the potential energy gains of bifacial rooftop PV systems compared to monofacial arrays. They found that rooftop reflectivity is a key factor in increasing a bifacial PV system performance, and that system and module design should also be carefully considered.