By the end of 2017 it is expected that boron-doped multicrystalline silicon (p-type mc-Si) wafers will have been used in more than 60% of the world’s manufactured solar cells.
Since its first publication in 2015, the PERC+ cell concept, which is based on a passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) design with a screen-printed Al finger grid on the rear, has been rapidly adopted by several solar cell manufacturers worldwide.
In 2015, estimated annual global volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) reached a record 43.8 million metric tons and global e-waste generation is expected to increase up to 50 million metric tons by 2018. Even though solar PV panels significantly differ from typical consumer electronic products, global regulators view PV panels increasingly in the context of e-waste regulations. Solar PV currently accounts for less than 1% of total annual e-waste volumes.
Welcome to the 38th edition of Photovoltaics International. There is every sign that 2018 is going to be a huge year for the industry as manufacturers continue investing in new tools and technologies. We will doubtless see many of the innovations whose evolution has been documented in these pages becoming increasingly mainstream.
Sticking with bifacial solar, Fraunhofer ISE takes a wide-ranging look at a number of challenges surrounding the technology’s leap to widespread deployment.
The Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) and Meyer Burger Technology AG present a novel bifacial module architecture.
The University of New South Wales, Trina Solar and BT Imaging give a suggestion for predicting the variation in multicrystalline cell performance by measuring the bulk lifetime of ingots.
We also have a look at PV recycling and lifecycle management from First Solar, PI Berlin’s assessment of PID issues in thin-film solar and TongWei presents a roadmap for PERC cells with 22% efficiency.
Abu Dhabi’s giant 1.2GW Sweihan PV plant made headlines last year for achieving a record low bid price. With construction well underway, Tom Kenning and John Parnell look at how the project is being executed.
Clean energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah, one of the pioneers of solar finance, is turning his attentions to other low-carbon energy technologies such as storage. He tells Andy Colthorpe about his latest equity round and the freedom he enjoys to back projects he thinks will have greatest impact
Blockchain technology is being touted as the next big step forward in the digitalisation of the energy system. But storage and storage management software are the critical pieces of the puzzle needed to maximise its potential, writes Carsten Reincke-Collon.
New storage and renewable energy technologies offer a potentially disruptive alternative to costly, unpopular investment in grid infrastructure improvements. Alex Eller looks at the opportunities for non-wire alternatives to maintaining transmission and distribution networks
As inverter technology advances in step with the development of the smart grid, so too are testing and certification regimes. Tim Zgonena of UL looks at how standards are evolving to ensure inverters are keeping up with the demands of a rapidly modernising power network.
Southeast Asia’s PV markets are entering a post-subsidy phase, creating numerous policy and regulatory challenges for developers. But, as Tom Kenning heard at November’s Solar and Off-Grid Renewable Southeast Asia event in Bangkok, there are still plenty of opportunities.
