Fraunhofer ISE said it was spearheading the largest research project (APV-Resola) in Germany to establish whether the dual use of land for the production of electricity using photovoltaic (PV) modules can be commercially viable with a range of crops grown on the same land.
The US has once again come out on top after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rejected a challenge by India in favour of its domestic content requirements (DCR).
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) US residential solar installations are expected to increase by 21% in 2016, yet growth in 2017 is expected to be a tepid 0.3%.
The 33rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) has turned away from co-locating with Intersolar Europe in June, 2016 and has returned to a September 2017 slot and be held in Amsterdam.
Solar panel manufacturers that fail to keep up with emerging technology trends will be under tremendous pressure in 2017, according to host of their peers at SPI 2016.
The US Energy Department is planning to provide solar technology funding to the tune of US$107 million via the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) SunShot Initiative.
The annual US-based Solar Power International (SPI) exhibition and conference historically generates a significant number of new product launches and can set new trends and directions for the downstream solar PV sector, globally. High-efficiency modules and high-voltage were the themes of new products announced at SPI on the second day.
High efficiency modules could be “the future of solar” as module manufacturers are making the move to such technologies to get the most out of solar as prices come down.
German-based PV module manufacturer aleo Sunrise said it had started production of its ‘CELCO’ high-efficiency PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) solar cells at its production plant in Prenzlau, Germany.
In PV Tech’s second Solar Power International (SPI) 2016 new product round up several companies have taken a more holistic or scattergun approach to new product announcements, whereby a number of things, like the IoT (Internet of Things) are showcased, rather than a single product.