Technology

China’s Longi Green Energy has set a new world record for crystalline silicon solar module efficiency with its independently developed hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) 2.0 module, achieving a conversion efficiency of 25.4%, according to a certification report from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE).

A group of scientists conducted a literature review of almost a hundred fast maximum power point tracking algorithms. They extracted ten representative algorithms and showed which of them works best under different scenarios.

Also on the rise: TOPCon risks. Positive early results from first test of perovskite tandem solar cells in space.

The perovskite-silicon and thin-film tandem solar cells were developed by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and placed on an OOV-Cube small satellite to test their reactions to high levels of radiation—and whether “soft” perovskite solar cells can heal after taking on radiation damage.

The results of this year’s Kiwa PVEL scorecard show that TOPCon technology is more vulnerable than PERC, and the failure rate at BOM level has increased to 41%, the highest in history, according to the testing lab.

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.

While replacing existing transmission lines known as conductors with advanced conductors could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035, some utilities are slow to adopt the technology. Two utilities that have used advanced conductors for years shared their experiences on a webinar.

Researchers have simulated the operation of bifacial PV and proton exchange membrane reversible fuel cells across restaurants in five different U.S. states. Taking into account varying rates of bifacial PV’s rearside gains, they found that LCOE was as low as $0.029 per kWh.

The Golden State recently signed AB 2661, granting the Westland Water District authority to develop transmission lines that will enable solar energy and storage projects on 130,000 acres of drainage-impaired farmland.

A team from the University of California Santa Barbara used ultrafast electron microscopy to record photocarriers as they diffuse across a silicon and germanium heterojunction. It is the first time the movement, which lasts picoseconds, has been captured as a moving visual.