Elkem has been given NOK16 million (US$1.78 million) from the Research Council of Norway to develop a silicon manufacturing process that eliminates all direct CO2 emissions associated with its production.
Chinese energy firm TBEA is planning to invest RMB 6 billion (US$938 million) to set up a silicon production facility with an annual output of 400,000MT in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
China’s solar module market has returned from its National Day festival to yet another surge in module prices, which are now standing at two-year highs. PV Tech’s Carrie Xiao analyses the impacts of this most recent price increase as the industry steadies itself once again.
The cost-effectiveness of solar panels as well as new technology that allows households to sell surplus power to the grid will both be explored under two separate initiatives announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Further study is needed to reduce the recycling costs and environmental impact of used solar panels, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
As part of an initiative by the Australian government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) awarded a total of AU$29.2 million for 20 research projects to propel the development of PV technology.
PV Cycle, a not-for-profit compliance and waste management programme solar PV technology in Europe, has achieved a record recycling rate of 96% for silicon-based PV modules.
