Since Chinese investments into major cell and module facilities started - more than 10 years ago - success ultimately has been driven by overseas market-share gains, above other technical or financial benchmarks that otherwise would be expected.
The US Naval Research Laboratory selected Alta Devices, as the solar solution for the prototype Hybrid Tiger UAV, Edgar A. Gunter explores the results and the implications for the thin-film market.
PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the first quarter of 2018 continued to follow the strong trend set in the fourth quarter of 2017. The quarter also represented a revival in thin-film expansion plans as well as the return of PV module assembly outpacing solar cell announcements. Also notable was the return of India and the US as major destinations for new capacity plans.
US-based PVD thin film materials supplier SCI Engineered Materials has secured its largest ever order valued at around US$2 million from a CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide) thin-film module manufacturer in China.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Singulus Technologies has signed an agreement with a key CIGS thin-film module customer, Avancis, which is part of China National Building Materials (CNBM) to develop the next generation of manufacturing equipment.
Perovskite solar cell developer Oxford Photovoltaics (PV) has reported a new perovskite tandem solar cell record, certified by Fraunhofer ISE at a conversion efficiency of 27.3%.
Perovskite solar cell developer Oxford Photovoltaics (PV) has produced a 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon two-terminal tandem solar cell with a verified conversion efficiency of 25.2%, through an ongoing collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics Device Group at the University of Oxford, led by Professor Snaith.
