Manufacturing

As we conduct our extensive market research phase to define exactly what the industry needs to be discussing and presenting at PV CellTech 2017 in Penang, Malaysia on 14-15 March 2017, one of the top technologies that is certain to be included again is passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) cells.

Capital expenditure (capex) from solar PV manufacturers is set to decline during the first half of 2017, as the industry adjusts to the excess of new capacity having come online during 2015 and 2016, according to the latest findings in the PV Manufacturing & Technology Quarterly report, released July 2016.

The proposed final judgement in SolarWorld's case with Hemlock has been set at US$793 million plus costs and interest.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar said it reached a new milestone in monocrystalline PV product shipments in the middle of July, 2016.

DuPont, an industry leader in high-performance materials for photovoltaic panels, shares best practices for solar array design, component selection and long-term maintenance.

SENTECH Instruments has designed the SENperc PV for the measurement of Al2O3/SiNx layer stacks and single films for the passivation of PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) solar cells. The stability of the deposition process is monitored over the long-term thereby the maintenance intervals of the deposition tools can be optimized.

Asia-based EVA encapsulant material producer HIUV New Materials said it successfully developed an encapsulant for N-type cell based PV modules that limits PID (Potential Induced Degradation).

Solarion’s solar module M210 is a c Si-glass-foil module with a front side mounted junction box and is factory-laminated onto a piece of roofing membrane.

In this week's Movers & Shakers segment, PV Tech examines new US solar employment initiatives, new up-and-coming technology and industry policy debates as well as career moves by influential individuals.

A growing regulatory burden on PV mounting manufacturers in the US has prompted some of the leading players to set up a new trade body to represent their interests. Ben Willis reports on how the new body’s members hope to turn back the rising tide of red tape.