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Manufacturing

The long read: Cloud looms over PV’s silver lining

Should heterojunction solar technologies be temporarily shelved? Could copper plating replace screen-printed silver conductive surfaces in cells? Why are tandem cells a likely successor to PERC? Brett Hallam recently sat down with Natalie Filatoff in Sydney to explain the findings of a new study by UNSW that sought to answer these controversial questions.

Invergy to set up residential-solar inverter factory in India

Director Deepak Pandey is confident the company’s hybrid devices – which are lead-acid and lithium battery compatibility – will replace the existing market.

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Pixon will expand solar module factory to 1 GW, plans backward integration

The Gujarat-based solar module manufacturer, which currently has 400 MW module fab operational, is expanding capacity to 1 GW with the addition of 600 MW mono PERC line. Having started EVA film manufacturing, it also plans to get into the production of aluminium frames and backsheets.

Intersolar 2021 opens in Gujarat

The three-day solar exhibition kicked off today at Helipad Exhibition Center in the Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. On the first day, Indian solar manufacturers Adani Solar, Pixon, Saatvik among others shared with pv magazine their aggressive plans to ramp up production capacities and launch new technologies. We also caught up with inverter player Invergy, which plans to open its manufacturing capacity soon in India.

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Mounting system for rooftop PV relying on large-size solar modules

Developed by Spanish manufacturer Alusín Solar, the new mounting system is claimed to be, currently, the only one on the market that provides six fixing points for a solar panel in ballast-secured structures.

Looking past PERC solar cells

While the adoption of large-format wafers has driven a wave of capacity expansion for PERC, existing manufacturers and new entrants continue to evaluate TOPCon and HJT. An increasing number of HJT pilot lines and gigawatt-scale capacity expansion projects are appearing, as manufacturers see the advantages of fewer process steps, higher efficiency ratings, and better yield rates. The localization of equipment is also a driving factor. PV InfoLink’s Derek Zhao offers an update on the latest developments and process routes for HJT.

Micro-inverters vs. string/central inverters

A French research group has compared the performance ratio of 100 PV systems relying on micro-inverters with that of 100 installations relying on string/central inverters. It found the performance ratio is around 79% for both system typologies and that arrays with micro-inverters are more sensitive to environmental factors.

ARCI signs lithium battery technology transfer pact with Nsure

The R&D center under the Department of Science and Technology has indigenously developed lithium battery cells and packs for application in two-wheelers and solar street lamps.

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Spanish start-up offers flexible kit for balcony solar power generation with SunPower modules

The kit consists of one or two modules, a microinverter, and a five-meter cable. Thanks to its plug-in technology, it can be connected to any electrical outlet and immediately begin generating electricity.

PV technology roadmap: More work needed to process 210mm wafers

In an update to its annual International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics, German engineering association VDMA discusses the readiness level for various technologies in PV cell and module manufacturing, finding that more process development is needed for 210mm wafers – the largest format currently on the market – to match the throughputs that will soon be achievable with smaller formats including 182mm.

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