Premium

With the expected increase in annual photovoltaic production capacity beyond 1TWp/a (terrawatt-peak per year), the emphasis on novel, next-generation production technologies gains significance from the perspective of potentially lowering production costs as well as increasing sustainability by reducing the resources required in manufacturing. The focus of this work is to analyse the impact of high-throughput (HTP), next-generation silicon solar cell production technologies, as developed within the framework of the NextTec research and development project, on the required i) amount of equipment, ii) capital expenditure (CAPEX) and iii) labour, herein termed as key performance indicators (KPIs), for a solar cell production facility with an annual capacity of 10GWp.

Earlier this month the agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, announced a plan to "put an end to the wild installation of ground-mounted photovoltaics" on land classified as agricultural land.

Polysilicon prices have stabilised but remain low, with average n-type prices dropping further, according to the latest industry data.

The EU and US are leading efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of PV manufacturing through targeted import tariffs. As well as supporting decarbonisation efforts, such policies could also promote geographic diversification in the solar supply chain and greater supply resilience, writes Michael Parr of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance.

Ember Climate suggests that the EU will need to invest at least €58.4 billion a year on transmission and distribution grids.

The foundations of a solar project offer multiple opportunities for driving down system costs. Arash Yazdani of PRI Engineering describes some of the key steps involved in investigating the specific conditions of a project site and developing a foundation design that will stand the test of time.

Juan Monge, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie, says the EPBD timeline is plausible, although “the devil is in the detail”. 

The module procurement tenders of China's state-owned enterprises have always been a barometer, revealing the fierce competition within the industry over everything from module technology to pricing.

PV Tech Power spoke with Lukas Jakisch of PV testing company TÜV Rheinland about the developments and challenges facing the sector.

Cost and risk factors can make countries facing energy access issues the most difficult for developers to build solar projects, despite their huge potential. Tom Kenning reports on two plug-and-play solutions that may provide a solution in off-grid locations.