An interview with Fraunhofer ISE on new discoveries of ultraviolet degradation risks.

Battery fires, while a rare occurrence given the number of lithium-ion batteries manufactured and deployed each year, are common enough to worry insurers and others in the industry. Following high-profile battery fires in 2024 and 2025, the industry is busy implementing solutions not only to reduce the risk of fire breaking out in the first place, but to contain and mitigate the risk of injury or damage should it happen. Conclusions from large-scale fire testing will be key.

Independent testing laboratory Kiwa-PVEL today published the 11th edition of its PV Module Reliability Scorecard, having extensively tested PV modules from 50 different manufacturers.

For the past five consecutive years, tech and retail giant Amazon has been the world’s largest procurer of renewable energy, investing in projects and signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) all over the world. pv magazine spoke with representatives of the company about its ambitious energy plans.

Steel manufacturing accounts for 8% of global energy demand and 7% of energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. The World Steel Association says energy use per ton of steel has dropped by 60% since the 1970s and steel is the world’s most recycled material, but there is still room for improvement. pv magazine’s UP initiative looks at opportunities for the industry to be greener, such as integrating solar and energy storage.

Laboratory testing has revealed that some negatively-doped, “n-type” tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and heterojunction (HJT) solar modules are susceptible to ultraviolet (UV) light-related damage and degradation. That could mean trouble down the line, if modules in the field begin to show UV-related performance loss. Manufacturers are implementing solutions at cell and module level.

The practical matter of taking a dead PV system apart and moving its components to their next destination has received less attention than recycling and second-life applications. In the United States, Decom Solar is offering decommissioning for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects. pv magazine spoke to Decom Solar co-founder Stephen Burns for an update.

Shifting requirements for supply chain traceability and carbon footprint disclosure, along with solar oversupply and unsustainably low module prices, have made 2024 a challenging year for PV manufacturers. Despite these obstacles, the industry remains committed to its crucial role in the global energy transition. pv magazine recently spoke with Haimeng Zhang, chief strategy and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) officer at Longi Green Energy, about how the sector is preparing to meet these challenges.

As part of our Intersolar 2024 interview series, pv magazine spoke with Amy Fang, Senior PV analyst at InfoLink Consulting, about new solar factories coming online and decreasing solar modules prices. She says the downward trend may continue until the first half of next year, with prices reaching $0.07/W, and estimates global module demand for this year could reached between 470 GW and 500 GW.

At Intersolar Europe 2024, pv magazine spoke with Edurne Zoco, executive director, Clean Energy Technology at S&P Global Commodity Insights, about module price trends, increasing solar demand and PV manufacturing outside China. She claims panel prices may stabilize in the second half of this year or in early 2025 and says top seven Chinese manufacturers may even continue with capacity expansion plans. She also believes that, without further substantial incentives, Europe will not be able to recreate a domestic PV supply chain.