India aims to become a hub for cutting-edge solar manufacturing
With a huge market and relevant manufacturing advantages, the country aspires to become a giga-scale manufacturing destination for the breakthrough PV technologies across the value chain.
IRENA presents $2tn plan to drive 5.5m renewables jobs by 2023
Doubling down on renewable energy investment and energy transition spending is required to ensure a truly green global recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and its economic aftershock, claims the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Central Electronics tenders for solar cells and modules
State-owned engineer Central Electronics Limited has opened tenders to supply 300,000 multi-crystalline cells, with a minimum rating of 4.57 Wp, and 15 MWp of 72-cell, 315 Wp modules.
Solar modules sought for NTPC’s Solapur project in Maharashtra
Domestic manufacturers have until October 27 to bid for the supply of crystalline solar modules aggregating to a nominal DC capacity of 33.6 MWp.
Thin-film agrivoltaic solar tubes
German tech company Tube Solar AG has secured €10.8 million to develop its cylindrical agrivoltaic modules. The lightweight devices could also be used on roofs until now considered unsuitable for PV.
REIL seeks 1.2 million multi-crystalline silicon solar cells
September 24 is the last date to submit bids for supplying 1.2 million quantities of multi-crystalline silicon solar cells, half of which is tendered under the domestic content requirement category. Cells are required in peak power ratings of 4.50W (4/5-busbar), 4.60W (5-busbar) and 4.67W (5-busbar).
Solar leaders call for overhaul to navigate Covid-19
Faced with raw material and labor shortages, solar manufacturers have stressed the need to find alternative supply chains and to push automation and internet of things applications on the factory floor to keep production running.
More efficient large-area organic solar cells with spin coating
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.
How long will the lithium supply last?
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.
The long read: Bottom-optimization
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.
