Manufacturing

Researchers in South Korea have used the process to increase performance and the replicability of large-area organic cells. The method was used during film formation to speed up solvent evaporation.

Researchers have sounded the alarm. If no serious efforts are made on second-life battery use, recycling and vehicle-to-grid applications, decarbonization efforts may hit the buffers a lot sooner than expected.

With bifacial modules making their way into the mainstream, tracker manufacturers and energy companies are operating test facilities around the world. To drive the LCOE as low as possible, tracker manufacturers now also care about what is happening underneath the modules, and not just above. As the power comes from light reflected from the ground, increasing that reflectivity has been mooted by many stakeholders. This is not without complication, however, and the quest for optimization goes into the next round.

A UK-German research team analyzed solar auctions in India between 2014 and 2017 and has determined that local content requirements have driven up PV costs by an average of 6% per kilowatt-hour.

The country’s electric bus market has gained momentum owing to aggressive government push through FAME India [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] scheme and increased interest from global investors.

The system will use an innovative solar film developed by Power Roll that can be manufactured for just $0.03/Watt and deployed on a wide range of non-load bearing buildings, including agricultural and warehouse roofs.

Petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said India had received proposals for more than 10 GW of solar equipment manufacturing capacity under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan mission announced by Narendra Modi.

The CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, which has expertise in the design and development of solar artifacts for multifaceted uses, and the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram, will conduct joint field studies for different solar technologies and work towards skill and capacity building.

French researchers have developed a machine-learning model to clean low-power PV projects and standalone solar arrays in rural areas isolated from the grid.

The International Solar Alliance signals India’s hope to be a global competitor in emerging technologies and cement its place as an institution builder. But how does India’s vision translate into domestic policy? Has India led by example?