MENA Weekly Round-Up: Oman Tenders 1 GW of Solar Projects

Silver Demand Forecast to Drop 19% in 2026 on Lower Solar Cell Loadings

Midwest Energy Starts Production at 1.2 GWh Battery Storage Plant

Maharashtra Road Corporation Seeks 115 MW Solar Open Access Power

DCM Shriram to Procure 58 MW of Power from Serentica’s Hybrid Project

Bihar Regulator Approves Generic Renewable Energy Tariffs for FY 2027

Grid Software Solutions Provider Piq Energy Raises $5 Million in Funding

Sonnedix Acquires 260 MW Battery Storage Portfolio in Italy

Fidra Secures $312 Million Debt for West Burton Battery Project

POWERGRID Tenders 500 MW/1,000 MWh Battery Energy Storage Projects


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					</table><p>India&#8217;s solar manufacturing industry has rapidly expanded over the past few years, driven by supportive government policies and growing domestic demand. However, industry leaders believe the next phase of growth will depend less on adding manufacturing capacity and more on investing in research and development (R&amp;D), automation, upstream integration, and advanced technologies to compete globally.</p>
<p>Panelists at a discussion titled &#8220;Raising the Bar: Technology, Quality, and Innovation in Solar Manufacturing&#8221; at the <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/mercom-india-renewables-summit-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026</a>, called for policy support for the ancillary industry on the lines of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers mandate for solar cells and modules.</p>
<p>Moderator Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India, said the country’s manufacturing landscape has undergone a rapid transformation over the last few years. She highlighted that monocrystalline modules have displaced polycrystalline technology, while TOPCon has emerged as the dominant technology in new module manufacturing. India&#8217;s announced solar cell manufacturing pipeline for 2026 is nearly 11 times the capacity added in 2025, reflecting the industry&#8217;s rapid expansion.</p>
<p><strong>India Must Move Beyond Following Technology Trends</strong></p>
<p>Industry experts said that India&#8217;s solar manufacturing industry is still relatively young from a technology perspective, making companies reluctant to take risks on emerging technologies.</p>
<p>Prashant Shah, Executive Director at International Marketing Corporation (<a href="https://imc-india.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMC</a>), said that in India, the industry adopts technologies only after they have matured elsewhere.</p>
<p>He noted that the industry has largely converged on TOPCon today, paying little attention to technologies beyond it. He stressed the need for upstream integration in the solar manufacturing sector.</p>
<p>Vinay Rustagi, Chief Business Officer at <a href="https://premierenergies.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier Energies</a>, said manufacturing technology cycles have shortened considerably, with major transitions now occurring every three to five years.</p>
<p>He emphasized that solar manufacturers investing heavily in TOPCon today must already evaluate future transitions to back-contact cells and, eventually, to tandem perovskites. Companies must continuously assess technology compatibility, upgrade pathways, and future investment requirements before committing capital.</p>
<p>The panelists, however, cautioned that technological breakthroughs often take decades to become commercially viable.</p>
<p>Rustagi noted that perovskites, for example, have been under development for over 20 years but have yet to achieve widespread commercial deployment. Similarly, HJT adoption has been slower than expected because of higher capital costs and operational complexity.</p>
<p><strong>Tandem Technologies </strong></p>
<p>About emerging technologies, Vish Iyer, Managing Director (India and West Asia) at <a href="https://caelux.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caelux</a>, said tandem perovskite technology represents the first major technological shift beyond conventional silicon-based improvements.</p>
<p>Caelux&#8217;s technology modifies the top glass layer of existing modules with a coating rather than replacing entire manufacturing lines. The company specializes in perovskite thin-film technology.</p>
<p>The approach, he said, could significantly improve power output while extending the useful life of existing manufacturing investments.</p>
<p>He added that the technology could improve module power ratings by around 30%, increase energy yield by 15% to 20%, and reduce the levelized cost of electricity.</p>
<p>Iyer attributed the development of tandem technology to significant government-backed investments in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S.</p>
<p>India must rethink how emerging technologies move from laboratories to commercial deployment. Current policy frameworks, he said, remain focused on incremental improvements within silicon technologies and do not adequately support experimental technologies.</p>
<p>He suggested creating institutions similar to Germany&#8217;s Fraunhofer Institutes or the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where industry and government jointly commercialize promising technologies.</p>
<p>He noted that India also needs clearer pathways to allow limited deployment of experimental technologies before commercial-scale manufacturing begins.</p>
<p>Iyer said the Caelux&#8217;s technology is also compatible with mono PERC, TOPCon, and HJT manufacturing lines, allowing manufacturers to extend production line lifecycles from roughly four or five years to six or eight years, rather than investing in entirely new production facilities.</p>
<p><strong>Upstream Localization </strong></p>
<p>As India&#8217;s solar manufacturing moves beyond modules and cells into upstream manufacturing, speakers said the next challenge is to move upstream into ingot and wafer manufacturing.</p>
<p>Rustagi noted that domestic module demand has increased sharply, growing nearly 90% last year and about 50% the year before. Annual module demand currently stands at around 60 GW and could approach 100 GW by the end of the decade.</p>
<p>To support that demand, he said that India would require approximately 80 GW of ingot and wafer manufacturing capacity, representing investments of nearly ₹$500 billion (`$5.3 billion) over the next three years.</p>
<p>While Rustagi believes that capital itself is no longer a primary constraint for the solar manufacturing sector, he said that access to technology, operational knowhow, and the development of a domestic supply chain for consumables such as pullers, graphite rods, and crucibles remain the industry&#8217;s biggest hurdles.</p>
<p>Rustagi also pointed to China&#8217;s potential restrictions on technology exports as an emerging challenge, adding that manufacturers would need to collaborate closely with both the government and international technology partners to ensure continued access to advanced manufacturing technologies.</p>
<p><strong>Equipment Quality </strong></p>
<p>While Indian manufacturers are import-dependent for manufacturing equipment, there is always concern about differences in quality.</p>
<p>Shah said that even though India procures from the same equipment suppliers, the quality differs as Indian manufacturers often purchase lower-tier equipment. Pricing remains the primary consideration for Indian manufacturers during procurement.</p>
<p>He also noted that Indian manufacturers frequently omit in-line process inspection and quality-monitoring equipment to reduce costs.</p>
<p>Chinese manufacturers don&#8217;t buy turnkey lines and cherry-pick the best equipment for each stage of manufacturing, increasing their production efficiency.</p>
<p>Shah also claimed that Indian companies have often received previous-generation equipment marketed as new.</p>
<p>Speakers argued that India&#8217;s manufacturing quality gap will persist unless companies significantly increase R&amp;D investment and adopt technologies ahead of market transitions, rather than merely expanding existing production lines.</p>
<p>Apart from equipment quality, Shah said that automation can play a vital role in improving yield and consistency, and in reducing operational errors, in the manufacturing sector.</p>
<p>Indian manufacturers are gradually adopting similar technologies, including automated guided vehicles and centralized equipment control systems capable of simultaneously operating dozens of manufacturing tools.</p>
<p>However, he noted that India still has a long way to go, but automation adoption is gradually rising across domestic manufacturing facilities.</p>
<p><strong>India is Competitive </strong></p>
<p>Speakers noted that Indian manufacturers often underestimate their global competitiveness because comparisons are almost always made against China.</p>
<p>Rustagi said many Indian manufacturers are already exporting while benchmarking their manufacturing costs, yields, and quality against international competitors.</p>
<p>He claimed that Premier Energies&#8217; manufacturing facilities currently operate at 80% to 90% utilization, whereas many European and American facilities struggle to exceed 50%.</p>
<p>According to Rustagi, many international manufacturers are increasingly looking toward India for manufacturing partnerships because of the country&#8217;s growing operational expertise.</p>
<p><strong>ALMM for Ancillary Market</strong></p>
<p>Speakers said that India has expanded its junction box manufacturing capacity by nearly ten to twelve times, substantially reducing import dependence.</p>
<p>Apart from growing capacity, Srivatsa, GM of Sales &amp; Technical Operations at <a href="https://www.genxpv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GenX PV</a>, added that procurement teams increasingly recognize the advantages of domestic sourcing, including shorter lead times, lower foreign exchange exposure, and compliance with mandatory BIS certification requirements.</p>
<p>However, he said ancillary manufacturers still require policy support, similar to the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), to accelerate localization further.</p>
<p>Srivatsa added that the missing piece is policy support, similar to ALMM, for ancillary manufacturers, which will permanently shift procurement toward domestic suppliers and help the ecosystem grow.</p>
<p>He emphasized that junction boxes continue to receive insufficient attention, despite being among the most critical components affecting module reliability.</p>
<p>Although junction boxes represent a very small share of overall project costs, he added that failures can result in losses running into crores of rupees.</p>
<p>Srivatsa said GenX PV invests continuously in R&amp;D, reliability testing, safety testing, and inspection procedures to ensure junction boxes perform reliably throughout a module&#8217;s expected 30-year operating life.</p>
<p>He stressed that R&amp;D, precise manufacturing, and rigorous testing are essential for the junction box manufacturing segment.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/raising-the-bar-technology-quality-and-innovation-in-solar-manufacturing"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-97989" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4.jpg" alt="" width="2422" height="1382" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4.jpg 2422w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-300x171.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-2000x1141.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-768x438.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-1536x876.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-2048x1169.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-650x371.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-624x356.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Session2-4-600x342.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2422px) 100vw, 2422px" /></a></p>


R&D Key to Next Phase of India’s Solar Growth, Global Competitiveness


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					</table><p>The global solar industry is undergoing rapid technological transformation. Emerging cell technologies such as perovskites, heterojunction, back-contact architectures, and tandem cells are driving module efficiencies to new heights and reshaping performance benchmarks across the sector.</p>
<p>As competition intensifies, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to upgrade production lines, adopt next-generation technologies, and improve product quality while balancing costs and profitability.</p>
<p>India’s existing solar cell manufacturing capacity is primarily based on monocrystalline technology. According to Mercom India’s State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India 2026 report, monocrystalline cells <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/india-added-119-gw-solar-module-and-9-gw-cell-capacity-in-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accounted</a> for more than 57% of production capacity, followed by TOPCon at over 39%. Polycrystalline cells accounted for approximately 3.5%.</p>
<p>At the sixth <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/mercom-india-renewables-summit-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026</a>, industry leaders will come together for the session, “<strong>Raising the Bar: Technology, Quality, and Innovation in Solar Manufacturing</strong>,” to discuss how the industry can strengthen its global competitiveness and create long-term value through continuous improvement across the manufacturing value chain.</p>
<p>Scheduled for July 1-2, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, the Summit will bring together key stakeholders from across the renewable energy ecosystem.</p>
<p>The session will explore emerging technologies, manufacturing innovations, quality assurance frameworks, and reliability standards that can help Indian manufacturers enhance product differentiation, improve bankability, and build sustainable competitive advantages in an increasingly sophisticated market.</p>
<p>The panel will feature Prashant Shah, Executive Director at <a href="https://imc-india.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMC India</a>; Piyush Agrawal, Managing Director at <a href="https://www.genxpv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GenX PV</a>; Vish Iyer, Managing Director (India &amp; West Asia) at <a href="https://caelux.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caelux</a>; and Vinay Rustagi, Chief Business Officer at  <a href="https://premierenergies.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier Energies</a>, who will share insights on the technological advancements and quality-driven strategies shaping the future of solar manufacturing.</p>
<p>The 2026 Summit will also feature two parallel events: the <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/awards/mercom-india-awards-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom India Awards,</a> which will honor outstanding achievements and technological innovations that are transforming India’s energy markets, and the <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/mercom-india-renewables-summit-2026/exhibitor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom India Renewable Summit Expo</a> which will bring together renewable energy companies showcasing cutting-edge solutions and services. The expo will also provide participants with opportunities to connect with industry leaders, explore new business opportunities, and enhance brand visibility.</p>


Emerging Cell Technologies Key to India’s Next Solar Leap


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					</table><p>SJVN <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sjvn-issues-2-4-mw-rooftop-solar-tender-in-arunachal-pradesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to install 2.378 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects at various locations in Arunachal Pradesh under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. Bids must be submitted by July 9, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same date. The scope of work entails preparing the project’s site survey, feasibility report, and access plans. It also involves the design, storage, civil works (including construction materials and water), installation, testing, and commissioning of the solar projects.</p>
<p>Solar module manufacturing lines under the domestic content requirement category are <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/industry-says-gap-between-solar-cell-and-module-manufacturing-capacity-a-concern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">booked</a> for the upcoming three to four months, said industry experts at Mercom India’s recent RE Buyer-Seller Meet, held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Mercom India hosts these events to provide a platform for clean energy buyers to engage directly with carefully selected vendors offering localized, high-quality solar solutions. The Coimbatore meet featured two sessions, during which industry experts discussed various aspects of solar energy.</p>
<p>A recent study by the University of Utah <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-discover-potential-of-hybrid-perovskites-to-make-solar-cells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> the potential of phase-transitioned hybrid perovskites for use in solar cell manufacturing. The research was led by Perry Martin, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry’s Bischak Lab at the University of Utah. The study was published under the research paper titled “Coupled optical and structural properties of two-dimensional metal-halide perovskites across phase transitions” in the journal <em>Matter</em>. The U.S. Department of Energy funded this research.</p>
<p>The European Investment Bank (EIB) <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/eib-pledges-e1-6-billion-for-france-spain-electricity-interconnection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a> €1.6 billion (~$1.84 billion) to finance the construction of the Bay of Biscay electricity interconnection between France and Spain. This financing will be completed as loans to the Spanish Red Eléctrica and the French RTE Réseau de transport d’électricité transmission-system operators. The first loan tranche of €1.2 billion (~$1.38 billion) was signed at EIB’s headquarters in Luxembourg. This loan adds to the co-funding of €578 million (~$665.15) for the project under the Connecting Europe Facility.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: SJVN Floats Tender for 2.4 MW Rooftop Solar in Arunachal Pradesh


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					</table><p>A recent study by the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Utah</a> has revealed the potential of phase-transitioned hybrid perovskites for use in solar cell manufacturing.</p>
<p>The research was led by Perry Martin, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry’s Bischak Lab at the University of Utah.</p>
<p>The study was published under the research paper titled “Coupled optical and structural properties of two-dimensional metal-halide perovskites across phase transitions” in the journal <em>Matter</em>.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Energy funded this research.</p>
<p>The study utilized Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites, a type of layered material composed of alternating sheets of inorganic and organic components, to conduct the research.</p>
<p>Researchers studied the phase transition behaviors of perovskites when the temperature was altered using techniques such as temperature-dependent absorption and emission spectroscopy, as well as X-ray diffraction.</p>
<p>A phase transition is a discrete change of matter from one state to another.</p>
<p>When heated, this type of perovskite can be altered from a crystalline to a disordered state.</p>
<p>The researchers observed that hybrid perovskites that have undergone a phase transition can be mixed with solvents to print solar cells.</p>
<p>They also discovered that perovskites can be manipulated at a molecular level, and the emission wavelength can be tuned from ultraviolet to near-infrared.</p>
<p>It was found that phase transition can also lead to controllable changes in the light’s wavelength, which can be utilized to design tunable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and other electronic devices.</p>
<p>These hybrid perovskites can provide an alternative solution to the energy-intensive manufacturing processes required for producing solar cells.</p>
<p>Additionally, this technology enables the retrofitting of existing solar cells with perovskites to enhance their efficiency.</p>
<p>In May 2025, a study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nrel-claims-a-boost-in-perovskite-solar-cell-efficiency-using-ionic-salt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> it improved perovskite solar cell technology performance by replacing the commonly used fullerene electron transport layer with a newly synthesized ionic salt, commonly referred to as CPMAC.</p>
<p>In 2024, researchers at Northwestern University <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/novel-liquid-crystals-efficiency-perovskite-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered</a> that large-scale perovskite films, commonly used in solar technology, can be protected by liquid crystals that respond to temperature changes, preventing precipitation accumulation.</p>


Researchers Discover Potential of Hybrid Perovskites to Make Solar Cells


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					</table><p><strong><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-tranche-iii-solar-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apraava Energy, Avaada Energy, ReNew Solar Power (ReNew), and JSW Neo Energy have won NTPC’s auction to set up 1,500 MW of interstate transmission system-connected solar power projects (Tranche III) across India.</a></strong> Apraava quoted the lowest tariff of ₹2.68 (~$0.0322)/kWh to win 50 MW. Avaada and ReNew won 750 MW and 300 MW, respectively, at a tariff of ₹2.69 (~$0.0323)/kWh. JSW was awarded 400 MW out of the 700 MW quoted capacity at a tariff of ₹2.69 (~$0.0323)/kWh. NTPC floated the tender in February 2024.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ci-project-may-lose-on-savings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mercom India held its first Virtual C&amp;I Clean Energy Meet on May 22, 2024, focusing on tackling the increasing demand for clean energy solutions among major power consumers in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.</strong></a> The event provided crucial insights into cost-saving strategies and facilitated meaningful interactions between clean energy solution providers and commercial and industrial consumers. The event addressed various aspects of power requirements, highlighting cost benefits, potential challenges, opportunities, and effective solutions. Participants gained exposure to the latest advancements in clean energy technologies designed to reduce operational costs and a deeper understanding of the benefits of transitioning to clean energy and the principles of environmental sustainability.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-find-mixed-stability-in-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Researchers have combined ortho-carborane with perovskite cells to improve thermal stability and retained 80% of their initial efﬁciencies. A team of researchers from Qingdao University of Science and Technology (QUST) in China and Canada’s University of Toronto</strong></a> have focused on the thermal stability challenges in mixed tin (Sn)-lead (Pb) perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Thermal stability is a critical issue posing a barrier to the widespread commercialization of PSCs, even as mixed Sn-Pb has emerged as a promising material for single and multi-junction solar cells. The study, published recently in Nature Communications journal, focused on a novel thermal regulation strategy using ortho-carborane, an electron-delocalized carbon-boron molecule known for its efficient heat transfer capability</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: Winners of NTPC’s 1.5 GW Tranche III Solar Auction


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					</table><p>Researchers at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (<a href="https://www.zsw-bw.de/en/about-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ZSW</a>) in Germany coated a large area of perovskite solar cells with a green solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), achieving a power conversion efficiency of 16.7%.</p>
<p>Perovskite solar cells exhibit potent properties that make them a substitute for crystalline silicon in photovoltaics. But utilizing certain solvents like dimethylformamide (DMF) can affect the life cycle of photovoltaics, adversely impacting workers&#8217; health.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/index_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a> and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (<a href="https://www.bmwk.de/Navigation/EN/Home/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BMWK</a>) funded the research.</p>
<p>The experiment titled &#8216;One-Step Blade Coating of Inverted Double-Cation Perovskite Solar Cells from a Green Precursor Solvent&#8217; was published in the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Chemical Society</a>&#8216;s Journal of <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/aaemcq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Applied Energy Materials</a>.</p>
<p>Perovskites have the same crystal structure as the eponymous natural minerals. Researchers have used solar cells with perovskite layers as the light-absorbing material for some time.</p>
<p>However, perovskite precursors must first be dissolved and applied in uniform layers to the substrate to derive the best benefit.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37925" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Inverted-Double-Cation-Perovskite-Solar-Cells.gif" alt="Inverted Double-Cation Perovskite Solar Cells" width="500" height="250" /></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">Source: ACS Publications</h6>
<p><strong>Blade coating perovskite solar cells with DMSO</strong></p>
<p>Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is one such solvent that the experts at the German research center found to be benign. The ZSW team used DMSO and achieved a power conversion efficiency of 16.7% on a 0.24 cm2 active perovskite area, close to the efficiency of 16.9% with the DMF solvent that is considered toxic. The researchers used the blade coating method, making perovskite solar cells with DMSO scalable to larger production numbers and suitable for industrial applications.</p>
<p>The new research aims to overcome the challenge posed by DMF to scale up the industrial production of perovskite solar cells. With the DMF solvent, cell manufacturers face the challenge of producing and disposing of large amounts of the solvent. At the same time, additional measures are needed to maintain occupational safety, with high operational costs.</p>
<p>The blade coating technique caters to the scalability factor of perovskite solar cells with DMF, distinguishing the process from spin-coated solar cells with record power conversion efficiencies of 25.7%. While spin coating produces efficient cells, the new research pointed out that this technique cannot be implemented for the industrial production of larger modules.</p>
<p>The team found that DMSO has chemical properties suitable for industrial-scale production. However, the ZMW team observed that DMSO has high surface tension and viscosity resulting in an uneven layer deposition on the solar cell. The scientists noted that dimethyl sulfoxide toughens the crystallization process, leading to small perovskite crystals and a cell that yields less solar energy.</p>
<p>To address the above issues, the researchers modified the film formation process and improved the drying method to increase the efficiency of PSCs produced using dimethyl sulfoxide.</p>
<p>The Head of ZSW&#8217;s Photovoltaics: Materials Research department, Jan-Philipp Becker, says, &#8220;We used a surfactant made of silicon oxide nanoparticles to coat the perovskite solar cell and adapted the drying process. The process now produces uniform layers with large crystallites with these two improvements.&#8221;</p>
<p>Becker and the ZSW team are now studying the optimizing techniques to implement the blade coating procedure in perovskite solar modules as large as 30 by 30 square centimeters made with industrial-grade coating methods.</p>
<p>Researchers worldwide are <a href="https://mercomindia.com/engineers-develop-rapid-printing-method/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developing</a> new methods like a rapid printing method to maintain the stability of solar cells while achieving improved PCEs.</p>
<p>In another experiment, scientists from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/2d-cations-tin-lead-perovskite-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a new tin-lead perovskite tandem solar cell by combining different layers of two chemical compounds and achieved a power conversion efficiency of 25.5%.</p>


Scientists Use Green Solvent to Achieve 16.7% Efficiency in Perovskite Solar Cells

<p>A team of researchers from the <a href="https://excitonscience.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australian Research Council Center of Excellence in Exciton Science</a> claimed that they have developed a process that can help enhance the commercial use of perovskite cells. The research tackles bandgap instability due to light-induced phase segregation in mixed-halide perovskites that presents a major challenge for their future commercial use.</p>
<p>According to the research report, light-induced halide segregation is a process that leads to the formation of halide-rich domains and localized variations in the material bandgap. This decreases the charge mobility and carrier lifetime of mixed-halide perovskites.</p>
<p>The researchers explained that high illumination intensities could reverse the photo-induced halide-ion segregation (PHS) to control the bandgap of a mixed-halide perovskite single-crystal through optimizing the input photogenerated carrier density.</p>
<p>“The ability to control the halide-ion composition with light intensity provides new opportunities to utilize mixed-halide perovskites in concentrator as well as tandem solar cells, optical memory applications, and high-power light-emissive devices,” said the researchers.</p>
<p>In the report, the researchers stated that a range of stable photoluminescence (PL) energy could be reached by adjusting the input excitation power, which shows that the halide ion distribution is correlated with the excitation power. Photoluminescence is light emission from any form of matter after the absorption of photons.</p>
<p>The researchers noted that the potential to manipulate the halide-ion distribution with light intensity in perovskites provided a viable method for achieving compositional uniformity in mixed-halide perovskites.</p>
<p>“We provided evidence that the halide-ion distribution in mixed-halide perovskite single crystals can be tuned from a segregated state to a completely homogeneous state by increasing the input carrier density, and we have developed a lattice model that explains this behavior by the presence (or not) of polaron-induced strain gradients,” said the researchers.</p>
<p>In May 2020, the researchers at Iowa State University <a href="https://mercomindia.com/scientists-introduce-way-to-stabilize-perovskite-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">came up</a> with an innovative way to stabilize perovskite cells at high temperatures. They developed a technique that has made the material more stable at higher temperatures.</p>
<p>Previously, Australian scientists, led by members of the ARC Center of Excellence in Exciton Science,<a href="https://mercomindia.com/semi-transparent-perovskite-solar-windows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> published</a> a research paper stating that they had succeeded in producing semi-transparent perovskite solar cells that generate electricity. This breakthrough could allow for windows in buildings and automobiles to generate electricity.</p>
<p>Image credit: Stephan Kambor, CC BY-SA (<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/125x125-pseudo-square-monocrystalline-solar.cell.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2.5</a>)</p>


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