Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

Technology development partners Sunovia Energy Technologies and EPIR Technologies have claimed a breakthrough in growing single crystalline CdTe/Si more rapidly in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) tool that could lead to the faster commercialization of their proprietary solar cell technology. Read more >>

A new report out today, Photovoltaic Capacity Valuation Methods, by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), examines the variety of capacity calculation methods in use, and lays the foundation for building consensus within the solar industry, electric utility, and research communities. Read more >>

Independent semiconductor development foundry SVTC Technologies has announced big plans for developing a strong R&D presence in the rapidly expanding photovoltaics industry. Its aim is to compete with the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and proprietary centers in Japan. In doing so, SVTC believes it can become the main center for PV technology development in North America. SVTC Solar, the name of its new division, has leased more than 85,000 sq. ft. in San Jose of which 30,000 sq. ft. will be class 10,000 cleanroom, while another 20,000 sq. ft. has been deemed suitable for lab space... Read more >>

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC), among other governmental bodies, has selected two nanotech-related research projects specifically targeting improvements in photovoltaics that are designed to speed up the technology development for commercialization. Read more >>

The Technical University of Berlin has announced the establishment of a new Master’s degree course for executives of the solar industry. Entitled the ‘Global Production Engineering for Solar Technology (GPE Solar)’ international Master’s degree, the course is designed to cover all relevant aspects of the solar technology market. Read more >>

The University of Washington has claimed that its popcorn-ball design for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) yields more than double the efficiency levels of previous DSCs. The findings were presented at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in New Orleans recently. Read more >>

Konarka has revealed in the Advanced Materials (Volume 19, Issue 22) journal its use of inkjet printing technology to deposit organic materials used in its thin-film PV solar cells. Konarka used FUJIFILM Dimatix Technology’s cartridge-based Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP), the first time such technology has been used to produce solar cells, according to both companies. Read more >>

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has claimed a new world record for copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell conversion efficiency of 19.9 percent. In 1994, NREL researchers had touted CIGS cell efficiencies of only 11 percent. The conversion efficiency for CIGS is now close to that of multicrystalline silicon-based solar cells, according to NREL. Read more >>

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES and Q-Cells will start a joint development program towards having a fully automated vacuum coating system for depositing anti-reflective layers on solar wafers to drive conversion efficiencies higher while reducing production costs, the companies have said. Read more >>

CertainTeed Corporation, a manufacturer of building products, has signed an agreement to collaborate with SRS Energy in the development of photovoltaic roofing products. The polymeric-based photovoltaic roof tile will provide an aesthetic solution to solar systems that can tend to be unattractive due to the required size and format of the systems. 

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