Welcome to the thirty-ninth edition of Photovoltaics International. We go to press just a few days after the conclusion of our PV CellTech conference in Penang. The focus for all the PV CTOs, chief scientists, materials providers, equipment manufacturers and others gathered for the summit was how to keep pushing the industry towards a standard 20% efficiency while also expanding in scale. That expansion ought to be 100GW in three years if demand is to be met, according to one speaker.
CEA-INES researchers look at the benefits of exploiting the symmetrical a-Si/c-Si/a- Si structure of silicon heterojunction cells to use ultrathin wafers.
Another innovation that delivers materials savings is of course diamond wire sawing and, again, scale and efficiency are dual drivers. Here, CEA demonstrates the need for, and processes involved in, closely monitoring the cutting process to ensure wafer quality is consistent and productivity can remain at the desired level.
We look at different sides of bifacial technology (pun intended) starting with JinkoSolar’s appraisal of its mono PERC bifacial cells built using standard production technology and racking up average efficiencies of 21.8%.
Away from the crystalline silicon world, German research firm OPVIUS explores how a combination of printing methods could open the door to freeform PV modules, unleashing an entirely new suite of product options and applications.
ECN Solar reveals the results of an industrial-scale trial process to develop an n-type bifacial IBC solar cell that is based on tube diffusion and a simultaneous single-step screen-print of contacts at both polarities.
Last but not least, CSEM looks at the impact the emerging diversity in cell technology and module architecture is having on metrology.
2017 was tet another record-breaking year for energy storage. Riding high on
expectation, the industry is braced for challenges and successes in equal measure this year too.
We canvassed opinions from some of the world’s leading trade associations and representative
bodies on the year just gone and what 2018 could bring
As Europe and other hot PV markets transition to low- or no-subsidy environments,
could a different direction help improve solar economics? Liam Stoker looks at why east-west
orientated projects are increasing in popularity
Ben Willis looks at the latest trends from some of the world’s most promising emerging PV markets.
This issue features Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and South Korea
Singapore operates the world’s largest testbed for floating PV, comparatively testing
and evaluating 10 different floating PV installations from around the world, and held the first floating
solar conference globally in October 2017. Writing exclusively for PV Tech Power, Thomas Reindl of
the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) reports on a form of solar power whose
huge potential is starting to be realised
After the frenzied highs of several year ago, Japan’s PV market has quietened down
somewhat. But As Izumi Kaizuka writes, ongoing policy and market reforms and the evolution of
new technologies look set to ensure strong continued growth for the foreseeable future
The commercial and industrial segment is one of the most promising sub-sectors of the
energy storage space. Julian Jansen of IHS Markit describes recent efforts to model the US C&I storage
landscape and what it reveals about this dynamic emerging market. As told to Andy Colthorpe
Islands are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters such as
hurricanes. John Merritt looks at some of the emerging solutions to building more resilient energy
systems through the deployment of microgrids that combine multiple energy generation and
storage technologies
In 2017 China’s domestic PV market surpassed 50GW. Meishi Tan asks whether such
astonishing levels of deployment can be sustained and, if so, what the future drivers of growth will be
Australia’s large-scale PV segment has been one of the star performers of the past
year. Vincent Dwyer and Jacqueline Fetchet look at the past and future drivers for this dynamic
market and ask whether recent momentum can be maintained
