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SECI Floats Tender to Procure 1.2 GW Round-the-Clock Renewable Power

Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief


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					</table><p><strong><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/aptel-quashes-kerc-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Appellate Tribunal For Electricity has quashed a Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission order that rejected</a></strong> Photon Suryakiran’s petition asking for Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) not to reduce the tariff of the delayed solar project from ₹7.05 (~$0.084)/kWh to ₹6.51 (~$0.078)/kWh. The Tribunal directed BESCOM to refund any liquidated damages recovered, with interest. BESCOM must also pay the tariff at ₹7.05 (~$0.084)/kWh, including any differential amounts due from the date of commissioning, with interest.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/jharkhand-regulator-rules-project-is-rpo-compliant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission has recognized Bokaro Steel’s (BSL), a Steel Authority of India </a></strong>company, cogeneration plants as fulfilling renewable purchase obligations, citing their environmental benefits such as reduced emissions and fossil fuel conservation. As a result, the captive power project at Bokaro Steel will count towards the renewable power purchase obligation from FY 2013-14 to FY 2020-21.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/aai-invites-bids-for-solar-project-at-chennai-airport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Airports Authority of India has floated a tender for facility management and comprehensive maintenance of a 1.5 MW grid-connected</a></strong> rooftop solar power project at the Integrated Cargo Complex, Chennai airport, for two years. The last date for submitting bids is June 24, 2024. Bids will open the next day. In 2021, AAI invited bids for facility management and comprehensive operation and maintenance of the rooftop solar project at the Chennai airport for three years until July 31, 2024.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/fraunhofer-ise-achieves-24-efficiency-for-topcon-solar-cells" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (</strong><strong>Fraunhofer ISE</strong><strong>) have produced a TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact)</strong></a> solar cell in the large-area M10 silicon wafer format, achieving an efficiency of 24%. The results, which were published at the 20th Photovoltaic Technology Advisory Board Meeting of Fraunhofer ISE, highlighted how advancing photovoltaic technology by transitioning to the M10 wafer format can align with industry trends towards larger, more efficient solar cells.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/australia-bids-long-duration-energy-storage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Australian Energy Market Operator has invited bids to procure 1 GW of long-duration energy storage</strong></a> and provide access rights in the South West Renewable Energy Zone for up to 3.98 GW capacity under the New South Wales (NSW) Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap’s fifth tender round. The tender aims to deliver electricity infrastructure that benefits the financial interests of NSW electricity customers in the long term.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-produce-and-agricultural-waste" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Engineers from the University of Illinois Chicago have developed a novel method to produce hydrogen from water</strong></a> utilizing only solar power and agricultural waste such as manure or husks. This novel technique claimed to reduce the energy required to extract hydrogen from water by 600%, holds significant potential for sustainable and climate-friendly chemical production.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Directs BESCOM to Refund Liquidated Damages


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					</table><p>Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (<a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer ISE</a>) have produced a TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) solar cell in the large-area M10 silicon wafer format, achieving an efficiency of 24%.</p>
<p>The results, which were published at the 20th Photovoltaic Technology Advisory Board Meeting of Fraunhofer ISE, highlighted how advancing photovoltaic (PV) technology by transitioning to the M10 wafer format can align with industry trends towards larger, more efficient solar cells.</p>
<p>The M10 format, with an edge length of 182 mm, is becoming the industry standard due to its cost-effectiveness and enhanced performance. The transition to this format allows Fraunhofer ISE to better support industrial partners in optimizing their production processes.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.vdma.org/international-technology-roadmap-photovoltaic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Roadmap Photovoltaics</a> published by the VDMA, TOPCon solar cells will have a market share of almost 50 percent by 2024. The institute aims to optimize these cells further to achieve efficiencies exceeding 25% and eventually develop tandem solar cells with efficiencies over 30%.</p>
<p>This goal of achieving over 30% efficiency with tandem solar cells suggests a promising future for solar energy, contributing to higher energy yields and more effective renewable energy solutions.</p>
<p>The findings will also enable Fraunhofer ISE to assist industrial partners in adopting and optimizing new solar cell technologies, fostering innovation and competitiveness in the solar energy sector.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are very excited that we can now support our industrial partners in optimizing their production processes with this large-area wafer format or even in newly entering into the production of such solar cells,&#8221; says Sabrina Lohmüller, the deputy head of the Silicon and Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells department.</p>
<p>Last September, researchers from Fraunhofer ISE and NWO-Institute AMOLF <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-develop-cell-with-36-1-efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a multijunction solar cell with an efficiency of 36.1%, surpassing the fundamental efficiency limit of 29.4%.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, another team from Fraunhofer ISE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/reduction-water-use-solar-cell-manufacturing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">devised</a> a method to reduce wastewater production in solar cell manufacturing.</p>


Fraunhofer ISE Achieves 24% Efficiency for TOPCon Solar Cells


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					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/gujarat-top-state-solar-open-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Favorable geography and climate combined with a proactive government catapulted Gujarat to the top position among states for open access solar in the second quarter of 2023.</strong></a> Consumers, especially those in the C&amp;I segment, are happy with the savings on their power bills, thanks to open access solar. Gujarat has just notified the Renewable Energy Policy 2023 to develop 100 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. This is expected to enhance further Gujarat’s reputation as one of the leading states for renewable energy generation. Gujarat has also formulated one of the best hybrid energy policies in India.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/powergrid-22-5-billion-bonds-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Government-owned power transmission utility Power Grid Corporation of India has received approval from its Board of Directors to raise unsecured, non-convertible, non-cumulative, redeemable, and taxable bonds for ₹22.5 billion (~$270.3 million) through private placement.</strong></a> The bonds will come with a base issue size of ₹5 billion (~$60 million) and a green shoe option of ₹17.5 billion (~$210.3 million). They are redeemable at par in 10 equal installments, with interest payments yearly. The proceeds will be used to part finance the company’s CAPEX requirements, to provide inter-corporate loans to its wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, and for general corporate purposes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sjvn-to-supply-solar-power-floating-project-in-himachal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has given the green light for a tariff of ₹3.26 (~$0.03)/kWh for a 15 MW grid-connected floating solar project linked to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) interstate transmission system.</strong></a> BBMB and SJVN Green Energy, a subsidiary of SJVN, have inked a power purchase agreement to allocate power to BBMB’s partner states and nominated entities. BBMB had submitted a petition under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003, seeking tariff approval for their floating solar project connected to its ISTS network.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/chennai-metro-3-mw-rooftop-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chennai Metro Rail has invited bids to commission 3 MW of rooftop solar projects on elevated structures in parking and open spaces at Chennai Metro’s Phase 1 and its extension stations under the Renewable Energy Service Company model.</strong></a> The project should be completed within 18 months of receiving the work order. Selected bidders must also oversee the projects’ operation and maintenance for 25 years. The project’s estimated cost is ₹200 million (~$2.4 million). The last day to submit bids is November 6, 2023. Bids will be opened the next day.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/raptee-raises-3-million-pre-series-a-round" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Raptee, an electric motorcycle startup, secured $3 million in its Pre-Series A funding round led by Bluehill Capital, a deep-tech venture capital firm.</strong></a> Notable industry figures, including Eugene Mayne, Founder and CEO of Tristar Global; Lakshmi Narayanan, Former CEO of Cognizant; Ramesh Kannan, Managing Director at Kaynes Technology; and Chandu Nair, Director at Shankara Building Products, along with other high-net-worth individuals from India and the UAE, also participated in this all-equity funding round. The funds raised will be invested in expanding the company’s manufacturing facility, acquiring machinery and tooling for the upcoming motorcycle launch, and growing the workforce.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/solaria-receives-boost-from-eibs-investeu" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Solaria, a U.S.-headquartered solar equipment manufacturer and installer, has secured €1.7 billion (~$1.8 billion) in financing from the European Investment Bank through the InvestEU program.</strong></a> The financing will support the development of approximately 120 solar photovoltaic power projects, primarily in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, with a combined installed capacity of 5.6 GW. Solaria’s project is underpinned by the InvestEU program, a financial initiative to catalyze additional investments totaling more than €372 billion (~$394.3 billion) from 2021 to 2027.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-develop-cell-with-36-1-efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research ISE and NOW-Institute AMOLF have developed a multijunction solar cell with an efficiency of 36.1%, beating previous records for silicon-based solar cells.</strong></a> Silicon-based solar cells have long been a mainstay of the renewable energy landscape, but they usually face a fundamental efficiency limit of 29.4%. To surmount this limitation, the researchers turned to the concept of multijunction solar cells. In these cells, multiple layers of light-absorbing materials are stacked on top of each other, allowing each layer to efficiently capture specific segments of the sunlight’s color spectrum.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/blended-finance-indias-transition-clean-energy-ifc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Blended finance is set to play a crucial role in bolstering India’s transition to clean energy by its capacity to attract greater private investment into impactful climate initiatives, according to a report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).</strong></a> Blended finance involves the integration of concessional funds from sources like governments or philanthropic organizations with funds from development finance institutions such as the IFC. This strategy has the potential to mobilize private sector investments for projects with substantial development impact.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: Favorable Policies Boost Solar Open Access Installations in Gujarat


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					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sjvn-bags-%E2%82%B970-billion-contract-1-2-gw-solar-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SJVN Green Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN, has received a letter of intent from the Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL) for the development of 1,200 MW of solar power projects.</strong></a> The company will develop 1,000 MW of solar projects anywhere in the country, and the balance of 200 MW will be developed in Punjab. PSPCL will procure 1,000 MW of solar power from projects anywhere in the country at a tariff of ₹2.53 (~$0.031)/kWh and the balance of 200 MW from projects in Punjab at a tariff of ₹2.75 (~$0.034)/kWh.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/8738-public-ev-charging-stations-june-minister" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>As India strives towards decarbonizing the transport sector, the country has installed 8,738 operational public electric vehicle charging stations, as of June 30, 2023</strong></a>, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the Ministry of Power data. The information was shared by the Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar, in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. The increasing demand for electric vehicles has led to the faster deployment of necessary charging infrastructure.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nashik-tender-install-20-ev-charging-stations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nashik Municipal Corporation has invited bids for the supply, erection, installation, and commissioning of 20 electric vehicle charging stations at various locations under its jurisdiction.</strong></a> The successful bidder will also be responsible for the charging station’s operation and maintenance for three years from the contract’s signing date. A total of 20 four-wheeler dual gun CCS2 (60 kW) DC plus 100 two/three-wheeler (3.3 kW) AC chargers are to be installed under the tender.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/germanys-q2-solar-installations-surge-94-yoy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Germany installed 3.3 GW of solar capacity in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, a substantial growth of 94% year-over-year from 1.7 GW added in the same period last year</strong></a>, as the country spearheads the renewable transition in Europe. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, installations increased 10% from 3 GW. The data was unveiled in a recent report by the German Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/farizon-auto-600-million-series-a-funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Farizon Auto, the new energy commercial vehicle manufacturer established by Geely Holding Group, has raised $600 million in its Series-A funding round led by Boyu Capital and Yuexiu Industrial Fund</strong>.</a> The influx of capital is expected to fuel Farizon’s endeavors in further research and development, ecosystem development, and global expansion. The new energy vehicles include battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell electric vehicles.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-first-offshore-wind-lease-gulf-of-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The U.S. Department of the Interior is set to conduct the first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico</strong></a>. The move aims to accelerate the deployment of 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, paving the way for a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. The upcoming lease auction, scheduled for August 29, 2023, will offer three key lease areas with significant potential.</p>
<p><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/equinor-to-acquire-brazil-2-gw-renewables-portfolio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Denham Capital, a global energy transition investment firm, announced the signing of an agreement with Equinor, a Norway-based energy company, for the sale of Rio Energy’s select assets</strong></a>, the Rio Energy trade name, and the management team platform. Rio Energy is a Brazil-based developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy projects. The acquired assets include the 0.2 GW Serra da Babilônia 1 producing onshore wind farm located in the northeastern state of Bahia, a 0.6 GW pre-construction solar PV portfolio, and a project pipeline of approximately 1.2 GW.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-at-fraunhofer-ise-organic-solar-cells" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) and the Materials Research Center FMF at the University of Freiburg have announced efficiency improvement</strong></a> for an organic solar cell with a one-square-centimeter area, boasting a record efficiency of 15.8% which has surpassed their previous record set in September 2020, of 14.9%. Organic photovoltaics have various solar energy applications due to their eco-friendly and cost-effective production, as well as their versatility with flexible and potentially transparent solar cells.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: SJVN Bags Contract to Develop 1.2 GW of Solar Projects


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					</table><p>Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) and the Materials Research Center FMF at the <a href="https://uni-freiburg.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Freiburg</a> have announced efficiency improvement for an organic solar cell with a one-square-centimeter area, boasting a record efficiency of 15.8% which has surpassed their previous record set in September 2020, of 14.9%.</p>
<p>Organic photovoltaics (OPV) have various solar energy applications due to their eco-friendly and cost-effective production, as well as their versatility with flexible and potentially transparent solar cells.</p>
<p>Research institutions worldwide are dedicated to enhancing the efficiency and scalability of organic solar cells to facilitate their market breakthrough.</p>
<p>Dr. Uli Würfel, department head at Fraunhofer ISE and group head at the Materials Research Center FMF, University of Freiburg, lead the organic solar cell research. He explains the key factor behind their achievement, &#8220;We achieved the improvement in the record-breaking solar cell primarily by applying an anti-reflection coating, which allows more light to be absorbed in the photoactive layer of the cell, thus generating a higher current.&#8221;</p>
<p>The thin-film system used in this advancement, developed through in-house research at Fraunhofer ISE, employs a sputtering process.</p>
<p>Prof. Dr. Andreas Bett, Institute Director at Fraunhofer ISE, emphasizes the strength of cross-thematic collaboration within the institute, as different photovoltaic technologies and their manufacturing processes inspire collaboration and synergy effects.</p>
<p>Moreover, the anti-reflection coating technology is not limited to reducing reflection; it is also employed in developing electrodes for semi-transparent organic solar cells. These cells consist of a photoactive organic layer applied to a back electrode that allows visible light to pass through while strongly reflecting near-infrared light back into the solar cell, where it is absorbed and converted into electricity.</p>
<p>During the study, the scientists explored materials that offer high transparency to visible light for the absorber layer and both front and rear electrodes.</p>
<p>By selecting organic semiconductors that absorb primarily infrared light, transparent solar cells can be developed for applications such as windows and transparent protective covers for crops.</p>
<p>This enables the combination of weather and overheating protection with effective power generation. However, significant development steps remain to bring such products to market readiness.</p>
<p>The study is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (<a href="https://www.bmwk.de/Navigation/EN/Home/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BMWK</a>).</p>
<p>Recently, Japan-based Toshiba Corporation’s researchers <a href="https://mercomindia.com/toshiba-announces-conversion-efficiency-for-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a method of layering a transparent solar cell over a standard silicon cell to develop an efficient, low cost and reliable tandem solar cell to raise the solar module output.</p>
<p>In June, researchers from the Fraunhofer ISE’s Centre for High-Efficiency Solar Cells <a href="https://mercomindia.com/toshiba-announces-conversion-efficiency-for-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> a power conversion efficiency of 47.6% in a multijunction solar cell (III-V) using an anti-reflection coating at a concentration of 665 suns (heat concentration levels equalling 665 suns).</p>


Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE Announce 15.8% Efficiency for Organic Solar Cells


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					</table><p>A proof of concept for an innovative production line for silicon solar cells with a double-than-usual throughput of 15,000 to 20,000 wafers per hour has been developed by the <a href="https://www.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE</a>, a consortium of plant manufacturers, meteorology companies, and research institutions.</p>
<p>The researchers implemented new on-the-fly laser equipment, which continually processes the wafers as they move at high speed under the laser scanner. For the metallization of solar cells, the consortium introduced rotary screen printing and replaced the current standard process of flatbed screen printing.</p>
<p>The Fraunhofer researchers integrated the two separate processes of diffusion and thermal oxidation of wafers into one. Wafers were no longer placed individually but stacked on top of each other to be processed in the furnace. The oxidation process then created the final doping profile and achieved surface passivation simultaneously, thereby increasing the throughput of the process by a factor of 2.4.</p>
<p>Following the electrode imprint on the solar cells, the contact of the electrodes to the silicon solar cell is formed on both sides in inline furnaces. A belt with a three times faster speed was installed in the furnace, and it could significantly increase throughput while not compromising the efficiency of the solar cells.</p>
<p>The consortium devised two concepts to characterize the complete solar cells. A contactless method for which a patent has been filed and a method using sliding contacts was implemented to enable future production lines to test cells faster. This made it possible to keep up a continuous speed of 1.9 meters per second while measuring the cells, with the team demonstrating great measurement accuracy for both concepts.</p>
<p>“Compared to the numbers we currently see, the production systems developed within the scope of the project achieve at least double the throughput,” said Florian Clement, project manager at Fraunhofer ISE.</p>
<p>Recently, a team of scientists <a href="https://mercomindia.com/metal-fluoride-in-perovskite-silicon-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that inserting a metal fluoride layer on multi-layered perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells can stall charge recombination and enhance performance.</p>
<p>In February, ISE researchers, in partnership with Reiling GmbH, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-develop-perc-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a solution to recycle discarded modules on an industrial scale and reuse them to produce passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells.</p>


Researchers Claim to Cut Production Time of Silicon Solar Cells by Half

<p>Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:</p>
<p><strong>The Masdar-led renewable energy consortium, with EDF Renewables and Nesma Company, has </strong><a href="https://www.edf-renouvelables.com/en/masdar-edf-renewables-nesma-consortium-reaches-financial-close-and-starts-construction-on-300-mw-solar-project-in-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>reached</strong></a><strong> a financial close on a 300 MW utility-scale photovoltaic solar project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. </strong>The Ministry of Energy awarded the project to the consortium after submitting a bid of SAR 60.9042 (~$16.24 million)/MWh. The consortium signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Saudi Power Procurement Company this January for the project. The consortium will design, finance, build, and operate the project, which will be located in Third Jeddah Industrial City, 50km south-east of Jeddah. The plant will begin operation in 2022.</p>
<p><strong>S</strong><strong>olar technology company Solaria will </strong><a href="https://www.solariaenergia.com/es/prensa-parques-fotovoltaicos/noticia/solaria-inaugurara-el-17-de-mayo-64mw-en-portugal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inaugurate</strong></a><strong> four solar projects with 64 MW capacity it is building in Portugal, the first to be built in the 2019 Portuguese auction, on May 17, 2021.</strong> To put the plants into operation in the coming months, Solaria has closed a long-term financing agreement with the French entity La Banque Postale under the modality of project finance for an amount of up to €23 million (~$27.82 million) and at interest rates of less than 1.75%.</p>
<p><strong>Industrial gases company White Martins has </strong><a href="https://www.h2-view.com/story/white-martins-to-support-5-4bn-hydrogen-hub-in-brazil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inked</strong></a><strong> a preliminary agreement with the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex to develop a green hydrogen hub in Brazil.</strong> Situated 60 km from Fortaleza, the port complex will be built by Australia’s Enegix Energy following an investment of $5400 million to develop the hub with support from White Martins. White Martins hopes to expand on its current industrial gases plant, situated in the Port, by introducing new facilities that support hydrogen production and distribution, ammonia production, hydrogen liquefaction, and the use of hydrogen in transport.</p>
<p><strong>MPC Energy Solutions NV has </strong><a href="https://www.mpc-energysolutions.com/media/pr-mpc-energy-solutions-signs-power-purchase-agreement-for-colombian-solar-pv-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>signed</strong></a><strong> a power purchase agreement for Parque Solar Los Girasoles, a solar photovoltaic project under development in Colombia.</strong> The deal includes the delivery of around 23 GWh a year over 12 years, starting in the second quarter of 2022. The agreement was signed with Grupo Renovatio, a Colombian energy trading firm, and electricity supplier. This is MPC Energy Solutions’ first PPA since its listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange’s Euronext Growth segment in January this year.</p>
<p><strong>A €330 million (~$399.1 million) European Union </strong><a href="https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2021-138-330-millions-d-eur-de-l-equipe-europe-a-la-construction-de-la-nouvelle-ligne-electrique-de-225-kv-guinee-mali-qui-approvisionnera-en-energie-propre-et-abordable-des-millions-de-personnes-en-afrique-de-l-ouest" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>support</strong></a><strong> for the new Guinea-Mali 225 kV power line aims to provide clean and affordable energy to millions in West Africa.</strong> Once complete, the new 225 kV interconnector power line will provide an alternative to expensive and unreliable generators on the electricity grid and supply green power to local villages and the wider region.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: Masdar-led Consortium to Develop 300 MW Solar Project

<p>Researchers at Germany&#8217;s <a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)</a> have reportedly obtained a record conversion efficiency of 26% for both-sides-contacted silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>Led by Armin Richter, the solar cell researchers demonstrated that such a high efficiency level is achievable with a new approach. The back-side cell surface design as a full-area charge-carrier collecting passivating contact was key to the success.</p>
<p>The findings were published in the Nature Energy journal under the title  &#8220;Design Rules for High-Efficiency Both-Sides-Contacted Silicon Solar Cell with Balanced Charge Carrier Transport and Recombination Losses.&#8221;</p>
<p>A preferred choice in industrial production due to their lower complexity, both-sides-contacted solar cells had not shown such a high rate of efficiency earlier. Up until now, the figures were mostly limited to solar cells with both metal contacts at the rear – the so-called interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells.</p>
<p>The tunnel oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) technology developed by the experts at Fraunhofer ISE combines the advantages of very low surface recombination losses with efficient charge carrier transport. While industrial standard cells have a pn junction on the front side, the pn junction in the record cell was placed on the back side as a full-surface TOPCon contact.</p>
<p>This mechanism eliminated the need to keep the full-surface boron doping on the front side of the device, allowing only a local boron diffusion to be directly implemented under the front-side contacts.</p>
<p>The TOPCon rear emitter solar cell (TOPCoRE) thus allows higher voltages and higher fill factors than cells with a collecting emitter on the front side.</p>
<p>This cell design seemingly allows better utilization of the wafer for charge carrier transport, letting the front side get more effectively passivated, for which aluminum oxide is used. Detailed power loss analysis shows that this cell generally compensates for and minimizes both electron and hole transport losses as well as transport and recombination losses.</p>
<p>&#8220;Based on a systematic simulation-based analysis, we were able to derive some fundamental design rules for future high-efficiency silicon solar cells above 26% efficiency. Both-sides-contacted solar cells have the potential to reach efficiencies up to 27% and thus surpass the previous world record for silicon solar cells,&#8221; said Stefan Glunz, Division Director of Photovoltaics Research at Fraunhofer ISE.</p>
<p>In an earlier study last year, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology (Fraunhofer IISB) had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-identify-source-impurity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> how impurities are formed in silicon crystals during their manufacturing process. Elaborating that the crucible and coating systems are the biggest sources of metallic impurities in silicon crystals, the researchers had added that the outcome of their experiments would help improve the quality of crystalline silicon.</p>
<p>In another study, researchers at Fraunhofer ISE had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/fraunhofer-institute-reports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a record efficiency of 25.9% for the III-V/Si tandem solar cell grown directly on silicon. The III-V/Si tandem solar cell was assembled on a low-cost silicon substrate for the first time, paving the way for an economical solution for tandem PV.</p>


Fraunhofer ISE Sets 26% Efficiency Record for Both-Sides-Contacted Solar Cells

<p>Researchers at the French Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N) have collaborated with researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (<a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ISE</a>) and others to efficiently capture the sunlight in a solar cell on an ultrathin absorbing layer made of 205 nm-thick gallium arsenide (GaAs) on a nanostructured back mirror. This new process of fabrication achieved an efficiency of nearly 20%.</p>
<p>Thinning the absorber reduces sunlight absorption and conversion efficiency. To date, the solar cells that were made from GaAs needed a one-micrometer thick layer of semiconductor material to deliver 20% efficiency. They can even be 40 micrometers (µm) or more in the instance of silicon. Reducing the thickness helps save rare materials and improves industrial throughput due to shorter deposition time. Earlier efforts of capturing the sunlight had significantly limited the performance due to optical and electrical losses.</p>
<p>The research team was led by Stéphane Collin at the C2N (CNRS/ Université Paris-Saclay), in collaboration with Fraunhofer ISE. The research group has arrived at a methodology that traps light in ultrathin layers made of 205 nm-thick GaAs, a semiconductor of the III-V family.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14981" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1.jpg" alt="Ultrathin Solar Cells" width="1338" height="603" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1.jpg 1338w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-300x135.jpg 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-768x346.jpg 768w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-1024x461.jpg 1024w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-650x293.jpg 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-624x281.jpg 624w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fronhofer1-600x270.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1338px) 100vw, 1338px" /></a></p>
<p>“Together with our French partners, we are very happy about this result and its publication in the renowned journal, Nature Energy. We expect to be able to even further improve the efficiency of ultrathin solar cells,” said Dr. Frank Dimroth, Head of the Department of III-V Photovoltaics and Concentrator Technology at Fraunhofer ISE.</p>
<p>The objective was to conceive a nanostructured back mirror to create multiple overlapping resonances in the solar cell, identified as Fabry–Perot and guided-mode resonances. They constrain light to stay longer in the absorber, resulting in efficient optical absorption despite the low quantity of material.</p>
<p>With many resonances, absorption is enhanced over a large spectral range that fits the solar spectrum from the visible to the infrared. Controlling the fabrication of patterned mirrors at the nanometer scale was critical in the project. The team used nanoimprint lithography to directly emboss a sol-gel derived film of titanium dioxide, an inexpensive, rapid and scalable technique.</p>
<p>Due to the high cost, GaAs solar cells are commercially limited to space application. However, researchers are already working to extend this concept for large-scale photovoltaics made of CdTe, CIGS, or silicon materials.</p>
<p>Recently we reported on <a href="https://mercomindia.com/carbon-nanotubes-increase-efficiency-solar-modules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rice</a> University scientists designing arrays of aligned single-wall the carbon nanotubes to channel mid-infrared radiation and significantly raise the efficiency of solar energy systems. According to the research, the carbon nanotube can be just the device to make solar panels that lose energy through heat far more efficiently.</p>
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