World

The number of PV installations around the world grew by an annual average of 28% between 2019 and 2023, including a 56% jump from 2022 to 2023, according to Wood Mackenzie. Growth is not expected from 2024 to 2028, however.

In contrast with traditional panels, thin-film solar modules are much more adaptable to these agricultural situations, thanks to their flexible, lightweight design.

Solar module size standardization will enhance supply chain efficiencies, boost production, and lower costs, according to the 700W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance, which aims to accelerate the industrialization of PV modules above 700 W.

Two new PV bike-path projects are now operating in the Netherlands under an initiative launched in 2018 by Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch water management agency.

ISC Konstanz researchers say their new n-type tunnel back contact (TBC) solar cell features polycrystalline silicon TOPCon contacts on both polarities. The results still need to be confirmed by an independent third party.

Scientists in Czechia have proposed to use parallel inverters in PV systems to not only reduce instability, but also to increase power yield. The proposed approach reportedly results in higher maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance.

Longi has announced the achievement of 27.09% efficiency for its heterojunction back contact (HBC) solar cell, a result that has been confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).

A global research group has designed a novel PV module cooling system based on multiple cooling sources. The proposed system was able to reduce a PV system temperature by up to 16.7 C and increase power output by over 9%.

Prices for p-type PERC solar panels could cross the €0.10 ($0.1093)/W threshold in the first quarter of 2024, says Leen van Bellen, business development manager Europe for Search4Solar, a Dutch purchasing platform for PV products. He told pv magazine that European stocks are expected to shrink, and that prices should recover in the middle of the second quarter of 2024.

The government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electrolyzer manufacturing has received an overwhelming response with bids received for 2.28 times the capacity to be awarded.