Manufacturing

The Indian manufacturer has launched the Shark series bifacial panels for rooftop solar projects. The nine-busbar panels have a power output of 440W-530W with front-side efficiency ranging from 20 to 21% and rear-side gain of up to 20%.

The performance of the solar cell contacts can be improved with laser-assisted current treatment. The process does not damage the solar cells but only optimizes faulty semiconductor-metal contacts.

The comparison of two solar cladded roofs in Sydney, Australia, one bare beneath its panels and the other adorned with native grasses and plants, has found the panels on the green roof were, on average, 3.63% more efficient, producing an average daily output 13% greater than the conventional roof. The improvements are believed to stem from the lower temperatures on the green roof, thanks to its plants – which also provided a plethora of additional benefits.

The giga-scale factory, located in the Bengaluru city of Karnataka, will initially have the capacity to manufacture about 500 MW of electrolysis equipment per annum.

The 3 kW inverter has an efficiency of 95% and features a surge power of 9000 VA. According to the manufacturer, the device is compatible with mainstream lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.

Hyderabad-based Allox Minerals looks forward to scaling up lithium titanate (LTO) anode and lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) cathode material production for electric vehicle batteries as the demand arises. It produces these materials using the economical method developed by International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI). The company is also keen on forward integration up to battery assembly.

Next Energy and Marubeni are developing a blockchain tech for PV module inspection – with the support of the Japanese government – which they claim is able to provide data on a panel’s traceability and components as well as verifying that the data were not modified or tampered with.

Developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), the “non-destructive” technology is claimed to enable the recovery of 100% of a module’s glass and to allow the reuse of silicon for producing new solar cells with an efficiency of 20.05%.

Australian National University researchers claim to have set a world record for bifacial solar cell efficiency that they say could boost the energy output of solar farms by 30%.

An order issued in late June instructed US customs agents to detain solar shipments containing silica-based products sourced from a Chinese firm and its subsidiaries. Three solar players may already have been impacted.