Thin-Film

As 2022 comes to an end, PV Tech is reviewing the year in solar, reflecting on some of the biggest stories and trends of the last 12 months. Here we take a look at the major manufacturing announcements and PV equipment supply deals during Q1.

German research centre Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has claimed a silicon/perovskite tandem cell efficiency record of 32.5%.

Heterojunction cell and module manufacturer Meyer Burger has established a new series of partnerships to research and develop perovskite tandem solar technology, with a view to bringing the technology to industrial scale.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new ‘paper-thin’ solar PV cell that can be applied to a variety of surfaces to generate highly integrable, versatile solar energy, they say.

Toledo Solar is looking into expanding its manufacturing capacity in Europe, with an initial annual capacity of 400MW of thin-film modules.

US thin-film manufacturer First Solar recorded an operating loss of US$68 million in Q3 2022, which it put down to ongoing supply chain disruptions.

First Solar plans to investUS$270 million in a new research and development (R&D) facility in Perrysburg, Ohio as it continues its global PV manufacturing expansions.

Independent power producer (IPP) Silicon Ranch has secured an additional 700MW thin-film module supply with module manufacturer First Solar.

National Grid Renewables has signed a 140MW PPA with chocolate makers The Hershey Company in the second such deal between the two companies.

US module manufacturer Toledo Solar has partnered with Turkish-based material manufacturer KordSA to expand its PV manufacturing capacity across Europe and Central Asia.