Manufacturing

The German research institute said the gallium arsenide cell has achieved the highest efficiency to date for the conversion of light into electricity.

LNJ Bhilwara, a diversified business group with presence in graphite electrode manufacturing, has formed a joint venture with Pune-based Replus Engitech to create lithium battery solutions for both e-mobility and stationary applications. The JV aims to have 1 GWh capacity operational in Pune by mid-2022 and eventually scale it to 5 GWh by 2024. 

U.S. thin-film manufacturer First Solar and Bill Gates-owned Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) are among the investors in the new company, which is called CubicPV and is expected to develop multi-junction perovskite solar cells with efficiencies of around 30%.

Electricity bill payers in nations as diverse as China, India, Germany, and Greece should be aware new solar projects can now generate electricity cheaper for them than legacy coal and gas-fired plants.

Researchers in Japan have found a new way to fabricate one of the most promising perovskite materials for PV application — the α-formamidinium lead iodide known as α-FAPbI3. With a pre-synthesized version of this material, they were able to produce a cell with a power conversion efficiency of 23.5% and a lifespan of more than 2,000 hours.

PV module making is a brutally competitive industry. And for Slovenian module maker Bisol, in business since 2004, one of the keys to success has been to remain focused on the value its products deliver to the customer. And as company founder and CEO Uroš Merc explains, in 2021 this means reimagining module degradation.

The Gujarat-based solar panel manufacturer and EPC provider has completed the supply of 72GN polycrystalline modules with peak power output of 335W each for a project installation by Peak Qualish Systems.

The diversified business group will invest over INR 60,000 crore ((US$ 8.1 billion) over the next three years to build Giga factories for solar, energy storage, electrolyzers, and fuel cells, respectively, to create a fully integrated, end-to-end renewables energy ecosystem. Additional INR 15,000 crore (US$ 2 billion) is planned to create a value chain, partnerships, and future technologies.

The government’s renewed efforts to curb solar equipment imports and upscale domestic manufacturing have started bearing fruits. The launch of the production-linked incentive (PLI) Scheme and the imposition of a basic customs duty (BCD) on imports have favored domestic capacity expansion.  

If the three record-busting low solar price tariffs recorded in the Middle East in the past 18 months are to be believed, renewables-powered hydrogen in prime sites in the region could already compete with gas-plus-CCS production, according to IRENA. Has the Gulf discovered the new petrol?