First Solar claims lowest module degradation rate in the industry
The US cadmium telluride thin-film module maker said its Series 6 CuRe panels are able to retain 92% of its performance at the end of the 30-year warranty. The improved stability of the product was achieved by eliminating copper and placing Group V elements such as antimony or arsenic onto the tellurium crystal sites.
Cold room powered 100% by solar
The Cryosolar solution consists of a 20-foot or 40-foot container equipped with a plug-and-play PV system installed on the roof. It has 180 mm thick insulation and 10 to 35 cubic metres of storage with shelves.
French company unveils new rooftop PV mounting method
Axter, a French waterproofing specialist, has revealed a new mounting process for the installation of rigid solar modules on several types of buildings, including concrete, metal, and wood surfaces.
Fraunhofer ISE develops front/back solar cell with 26.0% efficiency
The cell showed open-circuit voltage values of up to 732 mV. It was fabricated with a back junction (BJ) design with a full-area p-n-junction at the back surface.
Nickel-salen for a battery that charges in 10 seconds
Scientists in Russia introduce a promising new material for battery energy storage, the product of more than three years of research. Incorporating a nickel-salen polymer into the cathode, the group demonstrated a battery that can charge and discharge ten times faster than today’s lithium-ion batteries. And though the battery still lags in terms of overall capacity, the group is confident that its discovery will lead to big improvements for lithium batteries.
MNRE invites EoIs for installation of innovative solar pumps
The innovators will be required to showcase their technologies in actual field conditions. The shortlisted ones will be empanelled and allocated sites for installing solar pumps under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme.
UNIST, EPFL claim 25.6% efficiency world record for perovskite solar cell
Scientists have set a new efficiency record for a single-junction perovskite solar cell at 25.6%. The cell additionally showed operational stability for 450 hours, and intense electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of more than 10%.
Tata Power Solar expands cell and module capacity
The solar manufacturer and EPC player has added new lines to its existing factory at Bengaluru, widening its current product range to include half-cell and bifacial mono PERC panels.
Tata Power and Social Alpha invest in energy analytics startup ‘Urja’
The startup has developed an industrial Internet of Things-enabled sensor and analytics solution that allows manufacturing and power industries to track device-level energy wastage in real time.
German start-up develops anti-reflective film claimed to improve PV module performance by 10%
German start-up Phytonics has developed the film by taking inspiration from nanostructures in plants. In solar cells, the film enables a broader absorption spectrum and a higher angle of light-incidence tolerance.
