Solar wins on cost
On Day One of pv magazine USA Week, a panel of experts explored the levelized cost of energy as well as current challenges to capacity expansion.
ESIG calls for adopting standards for transmission-connected renewables, storage
“Too few entities” in the U.S. have adopted a global standard for transmission-connected solar, wind and storage projects that would prevent future large-scale grid disturbance events, says a brief from the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG).
Sunrise brief: Longi Green Energy sets world record for solar panel efficiency
Also in the news: PV Hardware unveils solar tracker, LG Energy Solutions plans U.S. battery manufacturing, and more.
Longi Green Energy sets world record for solar module efficiency at 25.4%
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).
Survey shows best fast MPPT techniques for PV
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.
Sunrise brief: Solar panels: Larger, thinner… and weaker?
Also on the rise: TOPCon risks. Positive early results from first test of perovskite tandem solar cells in space.
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.
‘TOPCon technology comes with three or four relevant risks that should be known’
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.
Solving the UV problem of n-type solar
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.
Two utilities share their experience with reconductoring that can enable more solar
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.
