Technical Papers

Two years ago, 1,500 volt PV systems were predicted to become the industry standard in the utility-scale segment. Patrick Fetzer of 1,500V pioneer GE looks at how far the technology has come and what further innovations could lie around the corner

A major new study published by the World Bank has underlined the scale of the opportunity represented by floating solar systems, but highlighted issues of cost, bankability and regulation still facing this emerging branch of the solar industry. Sara Verbruggen reports on the first serious piece of heavyweight analysis of the prospects for floating solar

Substantial flows of investment into renewables have brought about significant reductions in the cost of delivered energy, while simultaneously increasing the penetration of renewables in most markets. These developments herald the rise of Renewables ‘2.0’, a post-subsidy world for investment in renewable energy. Duncan Ritchie and Kornelia Stycz of Apricum explore the opportunities in corporate PPAs and hybrid renewable energy systems in the context of the Renewables 2.0 energy transition

For PV to continue competing with alternative energy sources, the cost of financing solar projects must fall. David Feldman, Rebecca Jones-Albertus and Robert Margolis of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory explore ways in which research and development can boost PV competitiveness

Following years of frantic consolidation, the UK’s secondary solar market has begun to slow. Liam Stoker analyses what the future holds in store for the once-thriving market, and what’s next for long-term asset holders

Solar in the Middle East and North Africa continues to flourish, with utility projects leading the way. As Paul Mansouri and Angela Croker of Norton Rose Fulbright write, the development of battery storage technology and a growing interest among large corporates in solar as an energy source will help the market to continue growing

Concerns over Vietnam’s power purchase agreement have not prevented a huge number of project deals being signed. Tom Kenning weighs up what progress is being made in putting one of Southeast Asia’s most promising solar markets on the map

In an exclusive preview of a forthcoming paper in PV Tech Power, LONGi Solar and Huawei present their analysis from a bifacial project in the Middle East.

Bifacial PV promises a significant reduction in the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV systems, which, compared with efficiency improvements at the cell level, is still achievable with comparatively moderate effort. Almost all major PV module suppliers have bifacial modules in their product portfolios or have announced production. This paper gives an overview of the currently available bifacial modules and cell technologies and the performance of these modules. Special attention is given to the cells and the layout of the modules, including light trapping and interconnection technologies, the encapsulation materials and the adapted mounting solutions. Finally, an outlook is given on the basis of the compiled information.

In the evolution towards higher cell efficiencies, new cell concepts (twosided and back contacted) have been introduced and for each of these concepts, new module materials and interconnection technologies have to be developed to fulfil all the demands of a good end product in terms of lowest costs, highest yield and power and above all superior quality (reliability and durability). There is no single module concept that fits all cell concepts or module application type so existing module concepts need to be adapted or innovative module technologies are required to fit the aforementioned requirements. This paper provides an overview summarizing the recent developments of integrated cell to module manufacturing approaches such as multi-busbar, multi-wire, half-cell and shingling technologies for two-side contacted cells and advanced soldering, woven fabric and foil based module technologies for back contacted cells aiming for the highest power outputs, lowest costs and longest lifetimes.