pv magazine launches its U.S. website
At the Intersolar North America trade show we have launched a new site specifically for the American solar industry, with a focus on downstream markets and, of course, policy.
Trina Solar hits 21.1% efficiency for mono PERC cells produced in industrial conditions
The Chinese solar module producer says it has achieved 21.1% average efficiency for P-type monocrystalline PERC cells produced in industrial standard conditions.
Berkeley Lab discovery could push perovskites to 31 percent efficiency
New research has indicated a pathway for perovskites to achieve a conversion efficiency of 31%. The findings were published by researchers from Berkeley Lab this week. Nanoscale images of perovskite solar cells revealed a characteristic of perovskites that points to the potential for dramatically higher efficiencies.
Solar panels power spacecraft into Jupiter’s orbit 800 million KM away from the sun
It is the furthest away from the sun that solar panels have produced energy, helping NASA’s Juno spacecraft enter the orbit of the solar system’s largest planet, in a groundbreaking mission that highlights the capabilities of solar technology.
SunPower sets new solar efficiency record
US company SunPower achieved an efficiency of 24.1% for a module using silicon cells, which is just the latest in a number of efficiency records for solar technology, showing that the modules are moving in the right direction.
Solar Impulse completes historic flight across the Atlantic
Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard landed the solar-powered plane in Seville on Thursday morning, achieving one of the most iconic stretches on the journey, and getting one step closer to completing the mission to fly around the world using nothing but solar energy.
Energiewende U.S.: PG&E to phase out California’s last nuclear plant in favor of renewables
The California utility has also set a goal of 55% renewable energy by 2031, which is more aggressive than the state’s current renewable energy mandate.
Hanwha Q Cells sets 19.5% efficiency record for standard 301W multicrystalline module
Verified by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab, the rating of 19.5% efficiency for a standard module of 1,670 x 1,000 mm2 sets a new world record for multicrystalline panels; Hanwha achieved the result using its Q.ANTUM cells with four busbars. Korean solar module producer Hanwha Q Cells has raised the bar for multicrystalline module efficiencies, confirming this […]
Stellar Homes Group to include solar panels in new Florida homes
The homebuilding company will introduce the PV solar systems as a standard feature in all of its new homes, making it the first company in South Florida to do so. To go along with Stellar Homes’ organic vegetable gardens and electric car ports, the company’s new-built homes in South Florida will also include solar panels […]
Australia’s UNSW sets sunlight-to-electricity efficiency record of 34.5%
Result by engineers at that University of New South Wales edges the solar industry closer to the theoretical limits of PV efficiency, smashing previous record of 24% set by Alta Devices of the U.S. A new world record for unfocused sunlight-to-electricity efficiency, set by engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, […]
