Highlights

The global sodium-ion battery market will grow at 16.2% annually to touch $2.6 billion by 2028. Major drivers include an increasing demand for these batteries as a lithium battery replacement for renewable energy storage and the growing trend towards low-speed electric cars.

Hassan Allam, chief executive officer of Egypt’s Hassan Allam Holding Co., discussed cooperation with Indian companies in renewable energy and green hydrogen, during his recent meeting with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi.

A new study proposes a blockchain-based solar passports framework to address the PV waste management challenge in India. It says such a framework would enable transparent tracking and verification of PV panels throughout their lifecycle, ensuring efficient asset monetization and promoting sustainable practices within the solar industry.

The state-owned hydropower producer has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Grid Corp. of Odisha (GRIDCO) to develop 2 GW of pumped storage and 1 GW of solar energy projects in Odisha.

Researchers in Japan have developed a repair technique for solar modules with damaged busbars and solder ribbons. They claim the new method can be implemented on site, without removing the panels from the array.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Helena Li, president of Trina Solar’s global cell and module business, spoke to pv magazine at the recent SNEC trade show in Shanghai about the PV industry’s oversupply challenge. Li said the company is considering opening a factory in Europe and expressed optimism about future cost and price declines.

India’s Vikram Solar and New York-based private equity firm Phalanx Impact Partners and investment advisor Das & Co. have formed a joint venture to establish 4 GW of ingot-to-module manufacturing operations in the USA with a planned investment of up to $1.5 billion.

Sleepwalkers has introduced an automated robotic device for solar panel cleaning that doesn’t require an additional rail system as it can move on the aluminum frame of the panels.

Scientists in Norway used various imaging and characterization techniques to analyze the cells and other components of silicon PV modules that had been installed in the field for more than 10 years. The group’s aim was to isolate the role of moisture in various mechanisms that cause performance loss over time, and to understand how these mechanisms progress over long-term installation in real outdoor conditions.