Researchers at the University of New South Wales claim to have identified three TOPCon panel failure types that are absent in PERC products. They explained that these failures may occur when the modules are exposed to high humidity and contaminants before encapsulation.

The Korea Institute of Energy Research has developed a solid oxide electrolysis cell stack that uses a special kind of separator plate to ensure proper flow of hydrogen and oxigen after water splitting. Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Bumhan Industries are now cooperating with the research center to improve relevant manufacturing process.

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has updated its research cell efficiency chart for a range of PV technologies.

The Chinese manufacturer said Germany’s TÜV SUD has confirmed the results.

TU Delft researchers have proposed a new approach for solar cell manufacturing that implies gauging wafer thickness depending on the regions where the cells and modules will be deployed. They also suggested to adopt test conditions that are representative of the outdoor working condition of solar cells in an alternative to standard testing conditions.

Chinese manufacturer Jolywood is currently applying a laser-assisted firing process in TOPCon solar cell manufacturing that can reportedly increase contact quality and corrosion resistance, while also reducing production costs. Scientists at the University of South Wales have investigated the impact of this production process on the quality of TOPCon cells and have found it “significantly” improve their reliability.

Developed by a research group in China, the two-terminal all-perovskite tandem device utilizes a 23.11%-efficient single-junction top cell relying on an optimized Sn-Pb perovskite material. The perovskite-perovskite cell was also able to retain 95.7% of the initial efficiency after being stored in a glovebox for 2,200 h.

The European authorities are trying to determine whether two consortia – including subsidiaries of Longi and Shanghai Electric – violated the new EU rules on foreign subsidies when they participated in a procurement process in Romania for a 110 MW solar farm. The European Commission is expected to make a final decision within 110 working days.

Huawei says its new, all-in-one storage solution for residential PV comes in three versions with one, two, or three battery modules, offering 6.9 kWh to 20.7 kWh of usable energy. The the Luna2000-7/14/21-S1 system also includes an inverter, an optimizer, and an energy management system.

A group led by Swiss construction group Orllati has won a 100 MW PV tender in Kosovo with a bid of €0.0488 ($0.0524)/kWh. The consortium has secured a lease for up to 30 years, supported by a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Kostt, the national market operator in Kosovo.