Technical Papers

Ensuring the safety, performance and durability of non-module components in a PV system is an ongoing challenge for the solar industry. Robert Puto of TÜV SÜD looks at the latest testing and certification programmes in place to help bring greater certainty to balance-ofsystem procurement.

Understanding the bankability of module suppliers is a critical aspect of solar project development. Finlay Colville, head of research for PV Tech & Solar Media, presents a model that allows scoring, rating and benchmarking of PV module suppliers by bankability for commercial, industrial and utility segment deployment. Quarterly rankings enable project developers and site investors to shortlist module suppliers when seeking to minimise module supplier risk and maximise site returns over the lifetime of owned assets.

From China’s bullish manufacturers to Malaysia’s blossoming ecosystem and Taiwan’s downstream ambitions, Asia has come to shape the fortunes of global solar. José Rojo charts the continent’s dazzling ascent after visiting all three markets in late 2019.

Despite several years of incredible momentum in the Australian solar market, energy policy wars raging in Canberra are prompting investors to take pause. What does the election of Prime Minister Scott Morrison – who famously brandished a lump of coal in parliament to show his support – and a federal renewables policy void mean for the industry? Cecilia Keating reports.

Simple economics are starting to overcome a reluctance to consider renewable energy in a region dominated for decades by powerful fossil fuel interests. Catherine Early reports.

As detailed in the previous article, research into the soiling of solar modules is shedding new light on the problem, its impacts and the best solutions. Sara Verbruggen looks at some of the available latest technologies, the economics behind them and how they are being deployed in the field

In arid regions soiling can greatly impact the energy yield of PV systems and drive up their O&M costs. Benjamin Figgis, Amir Abdallah, Maulid Kivambe, Brahim Aissa, Kamran Ali, Cédric Broussillou and Veronica Bermudez of the Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute, and Klemens Ilse of the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics, review the main challenges associated with soiling of PV plants globally, and the most promising techniques for dust prevention and cleaning in dry climates, drawing on research results from six years of PV performance and soiling studies at QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Doha.

Organic/inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received global attention because of their excellent photovoltaic performance and ease of fabrication. PSC’s have reached over 24% power conversion efficiency demonstrating that the lead halide perovskites are the most promising class of materials for next-generation thin-film photovoltaics. The unprecedented increase in the device performance from 3.8% to 24% in less than 10 years is mostly due to compositional engineering of mixed cations, and anions, as well as improved processing protocols has made PSC the fastest development of a new material in the PV field. Though the efficiencies on Lab scale are staggering, the full potential of this burgeoning technology cannot be realized without addressing the following challenges: fighting the degradation of the material is the highest focus for the moment and has several fronts for improvements including within larger scale cells or modules. The other main challenge of the new class of material is the toxicity risks due to the presence of lead. The research community is actively working on the mitigation and reduction of the associated risks. The exceptional properties of this material combined alongside its inherent relative lower costs have already triggered the interests of industries and start-up worldwide while on a European regional level, EPKI for European Perovskite Initiative was formed gathering all the significant players in the field.

Floating solar has caught the industry’s imagination in recent years, opening up potentially limitless new opportunities for PV installations in land-constrained parts of the world. Ben Willis reports on the work underway to address questions about the performance and reliability of water-based solar installations.

Batteries are increasingly widely used in grid balancing, but there are many more applications where a battery can play an important role. With electric grids requiring periodic maintenance, batteries can stand in for the grid during downtime in order to reduce the impact on industry and households, writes Dieter Castelein.