Manufacturing

A new study proposes an ‘extended producer responsibility’ based regulatory framework for end-of-life (EOL) solar PV management in India. Under the framework, the Government of India (GoI) works as the nodal agency, defining the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders and regulating the overall supply chain. The onus of EOL solar PV take-back, transportation, storage, recovery, and destruction lies on the manufacturers, with the entire system cost borne by an executive committee formed by the manufacturers.  

Swiss manufacturer Megasol said the new product is compatible with the most common tile formats and also available in different colors. Megasol has also developed a coating that eliminates the glare effect of solar modules.

Insolight has developed a translucent monocrystalline solar panel with a nominal power of 106 W and a power conversion efficiency of 20.1%. The solar cells are covered with protective glass and optical lenses to concentrate and direct sunlight onto them at around 100 times the intensity of standard solar glass.

Trina Solar has found that its Vertex modules, based on the 210mm wafer, achieve an energy yield up to 1.6% higher than rival products based on the smaller 182mm wafer format. The company conducted outdoor testing at two separate sites with varying climates, finding that products based on the larger format have a particular advantage in low-irradiance environments.

Scientists in India conducted a techno-economic analysis for a 100 MW production line for carbon-electrode perovskite solar modules, located in Himachal Pradesh, India. The analysis concludes that, even at the smaller scale, this emerging technology could achieve cost levels comparable with today’s silicon solar products.

The Solliance consortium has built a solar cell in a four-terminal tandem configuration that combines a 17.8%-efficient highly near-infrared transparent perovskite cell with a prototype of an 11.4%-efficient c-Si interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction cell developed by Panasonic.

After the ravages of Covid-19, electricity shortages in China have now raised costs for its solar manufacturers, with knock-on effects for developers in India too, again highlighting the dangers of relying on a single solar supply chain.

Foreign direct investment’s role in bringing in finance, superior technology and other resources is undoubtedly a critical one. The Indian government has tried to create a conducive environment for enabling flow of foreign investments into the solar energy sector in the country, but the norms need to be eased further to really push the industry to its maximum growth potential.

An Indian research group has used three different chemicals instead of commonly used hydrofluoric acid to separate silicon from the cell. The technique is claimed to be able to deliver recycled silicon with a purity of up to 99.9984%.

The new product has a power conversion efficiency of up to 19.3% and a weight of 11.2 kg. The module is produced with glass fiber reinforced plastic, which the manufacturer says reduces light reflection and opens up new assembly options.