Beyond the hype: Why PERC still powers a stronger solar future
New doesn’t always mean better: Passivated emitter and rear contact solar cells have earned their place through real-world reliability and cost-effective manufacturability.
Silver-lean screen-printing can reduce silver use in TOPCon solar cells by 40%
An international research team has developed a metallization technique for TOPCon solar cells that can reportedly reduce silver usage in the devices’ rear side by 85%. The scientists replaced the commonly used Ag fingers with intermittent Ag dashes for contact formation and Ag-free fingers and busbars for electrical conduction.
Solar technologies at crossroads
Experts set to speak at the NetZero Milan Expo-Summit 2025 on May 15 have told pv magazine that tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) will remain the dominant cell technology in the near term due to ongoing advancements, despite rising competition from back-contact and heterojunction technologies.
AI-powered robotic pile technology speeds up 500,000 solar panel project
Bouygues Construction Australia and Equans Solar and Storage are trialling an autonomous piling system machine to build French renewable giant ENGIE’s 250 MW Goorambat East Solar Farm in northern Victoria.
Fraunhofer develops contactless method for measuring back-contact solar cells
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a contactless method to measure the performance of back-contact solar cells, enabling in-line assessment of key parameters such as efficiency, fill factor, and current-voltage characteristics.
Fraunhofer presents solar module cleaning tech using structure-borne sound
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT has developed a solar module cleaning system that uses structure-borne sound and targeted mechanical vibrations to dislodge dust. Researchers will present the technology at Intersolar Europe in Munich from May 7 to 9.
How to combine photovoltaics with rainwater harvesting
Scientists have developed a system that harvests rainwater running off PV panels for household use or hydrogen production. Their analysis showed that, in the southern Sahel, the system can meet both the energy and water requirements for electrolysis, with surplus rainwater covering up to 50% of a household’s daily water demand.
Fraunhofer ISE streamlines use of epitaxial wafers in TOPCon solar cell manufacturing
Researchers at the German research institute have demonstrated that the so-called EpiWafers could be used directly for solar cell fabrication without needing a pre-gettering step. Their experiments provide a proof of principle* for epitaxially grown silicon wafers from German wafer manufacturer NexWafe GmbH.
Longi achieves 34.85% efficiency for two-terminal tandem perovskite solar cell
The result was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Indexel Engineering secures 50 MWh supply of US developed sodium-ion batteries from Unigrid
Indexel Engineering has secured 50 MWh supply of sodium-ion batteries from US-based battery innovator Unigrid.
