Manufacturing

Scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE and US panel maker Solaria have applied thermal laser separation and post-metallization passivated edge technology to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell production. They have developed shingle PV devices that are more efficient than cells built with conventional laser scribing and mechanical cleaving methods.

Adani Group has committed to building 15 GW of renewable power projects in Andhra Pradesh, while Reliance announced its 10 GW solar plans for the state. Avaada, Greenko, Indosol, and ReNew have also pledged massive investments into the state’s renewables sector.

Reliance Industries Ltd will invest in building 10 GW of solar energy generation capacity in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It has also applied for 6 GW of poly-to-module capacity under the second round of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for solar manufacturing which received bids from eleven companies in total. 

Triveni Glass is the latest to venture into solar glass production after Asahi India Glass, Gold Plus Glass Industry, and Chiripal Group. It plans an 840tpd factory with an estimated investment of INR 1,000 crore.

Israel-based Airtouch Solar has signed a $3 million deal with Indian developer ReNew for the supply and maintenance of PV panel cleaning robots.

Kärcher, a German company with expertise in cleaning solutions for all industries, has introduced its PV panel-cleaning solutions focusing on the pain points of the Indian solar sector. The range includes high-pressure cleaners, water-driven disc brushes, cleaning detergents, and even safety gear for operation and maintenance professionals.

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has certified that a South Korean research team has achieved a 25.73% efficiency rating with a perovskite PV cell based on alkylammonium chlorides. The champion device built by the scientists reached an efficiency of 26.08%.

The investment will fund Tata Power Renewable’s aggressive growth plans as it targets over 20 GW of renewables assets and a market-leading position in the rooftop and electric vehicle charging space across India over the next five years. 

California-based SEG Solar says its new panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per degree Celsius. They come with a 30-year power output guarantee for 87.4% of the initial yield.

Module manufacturer Axitec is ramping up its production capacity in China, India and Vietnam to meet growing demand for PV modules in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.