Imec has successfully integrated silicon heterojunction PV cells into curved surfaces, resulting in a 6% efficiency increase compared to passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) half cells. The cells are suitable for applications in vehicle-integrated and building-integrated PV (BIPV).

Germany installed 11.7 GW of new solar capacity between January and October 2023, with 1.23 GW added in October alone, bringing the nation’s cumulative installed solar capacity to 79.2 GW.

A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system recently exploded in a home in central Germany, preventing police and insurance investigators from entering due to the high risk of collapse. The explosion may have been preceded by off-gassing, but it remains unclear whether an external ignition source was the cause. Some scientists say thermal runaway may have triggered the blast.

Fraunhofer ISE is helping Holosolis to build Europe’s largest PV factory – a 5 GW solar plant in France – by 2025. The German research institute is providing support in technology selection and factory planning.

Verbraucherzentrale NRW, a German consumer protection association, has issued a warning about five misleading assumptions about PV-linked residential battery systems.

Heckert Solar, Wattkraft and Interfloat are planning to invest around €2 billion ($2.18 billion) in three different manufacturing facilities that will produce everything from polysilicon to solar modules.

Meyer Burger is now prioritizing the establishment of new module and cell production facilities in the United States, driven by favorable market conditions in the country.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) has developed an ultra-efficient circuit topology for voltage converters with an electrical efficiency of 99.74%. The tech could considerably raise the coefficient of performance for electrocaloric heat pumps and the scientists are now considering components based on semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) for higher power density and efficiency.

Meyer Burger plans to start a 2 GW cell factory in Colorado in the fourth quarter of this year.

Germany installed more than 1 GW of new PV systems in June alone. Its cumulative installed PV capacity hit 73.8 GW at the end of the first half of this year.