Global Energy Transition Requires $35 Trillion Investment Over Next Decade

Engineers Harness Sodium Hydroxide for Sustainable Energy Storage

SECI Issues Empanelment Tender for 5 MW of Solar Projects

Emeren Group Swings to $4.8 Million Profit in Q4 on European Projects

Global Energy Decarbonization Needs $1 Trillion Additional Investment Every Year

US Releases Strategy to Deploy 30 GW of Offshore Wind by 2030

Future Wind Turbines to be More Powerful and Cause Less Sound Pollution: Study

Iberdrola to Develop Renewable Projects Around the Globe for Amazon

Tata Power Solar Bags 300 MW Solar Project Worth ₹17.5 Billion from NLC

Daily News Wrap-Up: Power Ministry Seeks Comments on Draft Electricity Amendment


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/amazon_polly_48210.mp3?version=1674481071">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Researchers at <a href="https://en.hbu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hebei University</a>, China have developed an organic solution that can compensate for performance losses caused during the cutting and separation process while assembling the shingle solar panels.</p>
<p>The team’s study provides a new passivation technology that can recombine the loss on the edge surface and can easily be integrated into the current production line.</p>
<p>They found that the technique could increase the fill factor of a 24.4%-efficient HJT device from 77.9% to 82.5%, with the efficiency itself growing by 1% to 2%.</p>
<p>Efficiency losses are caused by the integration of stripes into the shingles panels during the cell-to-module (CTM) process, as the solar cells are cut into sub-cells through laser slicing technology.</p>
<p>“In order to compensate this recombination loss during the CTM process, we used an organic polymer ink mixed by ethanol, water and Nafion to form the passivation layer…We show that the organic passivation coating can substantially reduce the newly formed edge loss from laser scribing,” the researchers said.</p>
<p>The team said the spraying method can produce a uniform film on the passivate side compared to the unpassivated one.</p>
<p>The solar cells with the passivation layer were found to be brighter than those without one. This indicated that the organic passivation layer had a satisfactory edge passivation effect for both the tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and the edge recombination losses were largely reduced.</p>
<p>Researchers said the device can achieve long-term stability through the careful controlling of humidity and simple packaging technology.</p>
<p>The large performance losses that the TOPCon and SHJ cells have in the cell-to-module process, is one of the main obstacles in the upgradation of the photovoltaic industry.</p>
<p>The researchers hope their development can be utilized to help address the issue and bring about necessary upgrades in the PV industry.</p>
<p>In November 2022, China-based solar cell and module manufacturer Jinko Solar <a href="https://mercomindia.com/jinko-solar-achieves-record-conversion-efficiency-of-26-1-in-n-type-topcon-module/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> achieving a record maximum solar conversion efficiency of 26.1% in its 182 mm N-type module, which is Jinko’s latest TOPCon cell technology.</p>
<p>Researchers from China, Australia, and Singapore recently in October 2022 <a href="https://mercomindia.com/topcon-solar-achieve-22-8-with-aided-atomic-deposition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> a tube-type industrial plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition method and announced a maximum power conversion efficiency of 22.8% in a 613-Watt TOPCon module with 60 cells.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Researchers Reduce Performance Losses in TOPCon & SHJ Solar Cells


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/amazon_polly_47400.mp3?version=1672994376">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (<a href="https://arena.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARENA</a>) has awarded AU$29.5 million (~$19.5 million) to the University of New South Wales’ (<a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNSW</a>) School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) for research in solar technologies.</p>
<p>Researchers at SPREE will use the funding across nine projects to study the streams of cells and modules, the balance of the system, and operation and maintenance mechanisms that are targeted to better the solar cells and their stability along with improved energy efficiencies.</p>
<p>The extensive research will help researchers reduce the levelized cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) and improve the efficiencies of cells and solar modules.</p>
<p>ARENA has awarded UNSW a total of AU$41.5 million (~$28 million) to conduct studies and experiments that will support commercialization activities primarily aimed at reducing the cost of solar.</p>
<p>The funding includes an AU$3.7 million (~$2.4 million) grant for the Rear-Junction p-type PERC/ TOPCON Hybrid Solar Cell project.</p>
<p>By combining two solar technologies conceived at UNSW, the project aims to lower the costs of commercial solar cells by improving their performance through conducting experiments.</p>
<p>The second major component of the funding is worth AU$4.8 million (~$3.2 million) for a project that improvises on a decade of singlet fission technique which is a photophysical process that could help researchers exceed the limit of 30% efficiency while maintaining low manufacturing cost.</p>
<p>Further, a grant of AU$3.7 million (~$2.4 million) has been provided to study the optimal O&amp;M strategy and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)-modeling for ground-mounted PV. The project aims to significantly improve solar power measurement and financial prediction for optimal performance.</p>
<p>A project to assess the silver-lean screen printing for sustainable low-cost industrial PV manufacturing at a terawatt scale will receive a grant of AU$3.3 million (~$2.2 million). The project is aimed at addressing the amount of silver consumption in the production of terawatt-scale solar, which cannot be solved by end-of-life management as the sector grows.</p>
<p>The other five projects for which grants have been sanctioned include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>AU$3.1 million (~$2 million) for a project on efficient and stable chalcogenide-si tandem cells: integrating commercialized PV technologies</li>
<li>AU$2.8 million (~$1.83 million) for daytime inspection solutions for advanced operation and maintenance of solar farms</li>
<li>AU$2.7 million (~$1.8 million) for Industrial high-throughput inspection methods for high-efficiency multijunction solar cells</li>
<li>AU$2.5 million (~$1.68 million) for a project on the balance of system, machine learning applications for utility-scale PV</li>
<li>AU$2.4 million (~$1.6 million) for low-cost and sustainable PV systems for the terawatt scale project</li>
</ul>
<p>UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research &amp; Enterprise, Nicholas Fisk said, “These awards announced today will further enable our researchers to help solve the world&#8217;s shifting and dynamic energy needs as we move post-haste to a sustainable energy paradigm.”</p>
<p>Recently, ARENA <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australia-funds-research-silicon-perovskite-tandem-tech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> AU$2.78 million (~$1.9 million) in funding to the University of Sydney which has partnered with Australian solar technology company SunDrive to research and accelerate the commercialization of silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells.</p>
<p>Last October, engineers from UNSW <a href="https://mercomindia.com/unsw-engineers-claim-diesel-can-run-hydrogen-fuel-mix/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a dual-fuel injection system that allows a diesel engine to operate on a Hydrogen-Diesel hybrid fuel with 90% hydrogen in the mix.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"> <img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Australia Awards AU$29.5 Million to University for Solar Technology Research


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/amazon_polly_44880.mp3?version=1668691817">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>China-based solar cell and module manufacturer <a href="https://www.jinkosolar.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jinko Solar</a> announced achieving a record maximum solar conversion efficiency of 26.1% in its 182 mm N-type module, which is Jinko&#8217;s latest TOPCon (tunnel oxide passivated contact) cell technology.</p>
<p>In a recently released statement on the development, Jinko said that the maximum solar conversion efficiency of its 182 mm N-type module reached 23.86% in the current experiment, surpassing the record of 23.53% for N-type module, also set by Jinko in July this year.</p>
<p>The module adopted Jinko&#8217;s TOPCon cell technology and advanced welding and packaging technology. It achieved a conversion efficiency of 23.86% for the first time for 2 mm square above large-size solar modules.</p>
<p>Jinko&#8217;s record efficiencies were confirmed by <a href="https://www.tuv.com/india/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TÜV Rheinland</a>, which provides a globally unique testing standard 2 PfG 2796/02.22 for the certification of building-integrated photovoltaic modules (BIPV).</p>
<p>The results achieved by Jinko using its latest TOPCon technology establish the practical foundation needed for the mass production of subsequent advanced products. The technology effectively reduces the internal resistance loss of the module while significantly improving the conversion efficiency.</p>
<p>Chief Technology Officer of Jinko Solar Hao Jin said, &#8220;We are pleased to make another breakthrough in module conversion efficiency, leveraging our accumulated experience and continuous efforts in N-type technology R&amp;D and mass production. It is both a recognition and an incentive for our R&amp;D (research and development) capabilities. We will drive industrial progress through constant technical upgrades in product structure, materials, and processes, catering to clients&#8217; demands for high-efficient and more reliable N-type products.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jinko Solar&#8217;s module shipments for the third quarter of 2022 <a href="https://mercomindia.com/increased-n-type-module-shipments-push-jinko-revenue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surged</a> by 160% sequentially to approximately 3 GW.</p>
<p>In another collaborative research performed last month, scientists from China, Australia, and Singapore <a href="https://mercomindia.com/topcon-solar-achieve-22-8-with-aided-atomic-deposition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> a maximum power conversion efficiency of 22.8% in a 613-Watt TOPCon module with 60 cells. The teams achieved the results using a tube-type industrial plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PEALD) technique.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"> <img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Jinko Solar Achieves Record Conversion Efficiency of 26.1% in N-type TOPCon Module


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/amazon_polly_43486.mp3?version=1666947675">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Solar module shipments by the top ten manufacturers reached 140-150 GW in China in the first nine months of 2022. According to China’s PV Industry Association, the export of solar modules generated around $35 billion, up by 110% year-over-year (YoY).</p>
<p>According to the latest Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Company (<a href="http://www.aecea.com.de/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AECEA)</a> report, China was home to 530,000 tons of polysilicon in 2021, which may reach 1.1-1.2 million tons in 2022, 2.2-2.5 million tons in 2023 and 3-4 million tons in 2024. Also, wafer, cell, and module production capacity are predicted to touch 550-600 GW by the end of 2022.</p>
<p>Since January this year, 20 companies have announced plans to expand module manufacturing capacity totaling around 380 GW over the next 18 months, according to the report. During the same period, nearly two dozen companies have revealed their respective tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell expansion plans, accounting for a total of 224 GW.</p>
<p>According to the National Energy Administration (NEA), nearly 52.6 GW of solar capacity was installed in the first nine months of this year, marking an increase of 132% YoY. The cumulative solar installations crossed the 350 GW mark in September, overtaking wind installations by a margin of 5-6 GW. AECEA believes that solar could become the second largest source of power generation by mid-2023 surpassing hydropower which currently accounts for 403 GW.</p>
<p>The report states that the central government entities have so far approved two batches of ‘GW Bases,’ including hybrid projects, mainly consisting of solar and wind. The first batch of 97 GW was approved in late 2021 and will achieve grid connection by December 2023. The second batch of 455 GW got the green light in spring 2022, aiming for grid connection by 2030.</p>
<p>In August, NEA initiated a new pilot program to promote distributed solar in the country. By the end of 2023, at least 50%, 40%, 30%, and 20% of the existing government, public, commercial, and rural buildings in 676 counties across the country are expected to have a rooftop solar system. The report notes that the demand from this project alone could be in the range of 80-100 GW by the end of 2023. AECAE estimates a total capacity of 40-50 GW of distributed solar by the end of this year.</p>
<p><strong>China’s 14<sup>th</sup> Five-Year Plan </strong></p>
<p>As of October 2022, the State Council, national ministries, and provincial governments have successively issued more than 60 policies incorporating carbon-peaking action plans.</p>
<p>However, due to changes in the international political environment and compared to the previous five-year plans, ‘solar-related indigenous innovation and technological advancements appear to have gained importance.</p>
<p>The aim is to develop and cultivate an entire silicon energy-based energy ecosystem. By 2025, the provincial silicon energy industry is expected to generate RMB 200 billion (~$27.56 billion) in annual turnover.</p>
<p>This is a common theme among countries like India and the U.S., which are also promoting domestic solar supply chains. India, with its <a href="https://mercomindia.com/production-linked-incentive-solar-modules-approved/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Production-linked Incentive</a> program, and the U.S., with its <a href="https://mercomindia.com/inflation-reduction-act-faster-transition-clean-energy-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inflation Reduction Act</a>, have taken resolute steps to build a stronger domestic manufacturing sector.</p>
<p>Half a dozen provinces have issued ’provincial solar PV industry development plans’ promoting local production. China’s first ’Zero-Carbon Silicon-Based Industrial Park’ is being developed in the autonomous region of Xinjiang. The park, once established, will be home to 400,000 tons of industrial silicon, 100,000 tons of polysilicon, and 20 GW each of wafer, cell, and module manufacturing capacities.</p>
<p><strong>Financing and taxation</strong></p>
<p>In late August, the State Taxation Administration issued ‘Guidelines for Preferential Tax &amp; Fees Policies to Support Green Development.’</p>
<p>Two weeks later, the Ministry of Finance issued a notice regarding the ‘Fiscal and Taxation Support Plan for Promoting Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin,’ mentioning the solar industry. The ‘Yellow River Basin covers Gansu, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Shanxi provinces.</p>
<p><strong>Changing technology landscape  </strong></p>
<p>There has been a gradual increase in the number of new solar manufacturers across the country. Most of the manufacturers are into TOPCon and HJT. According to AECEA, TOPCon-related expansion plans exceed 220 GW, whereas HJT is nearing the 150 GW mark. Perovskite-based cell technologies are also being included in many national and provincial industrial policies.</p>
<p>The report points out that traditionally, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Greater Shanghai Area were considered the heartland of China’s solar PV manufacturing. However, western provinces, notably Sichuan and Yunnan (home to substantial hydropower), Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai have attracted billions of upstream investments in the past 12-18 months.</p>
<p><strong>Heat and drought   </strong></p>
<p>China experienced a severe heat wave between June and August that affected almost the entire country. The heat wave exacerbated a drought, whereas North China received unusually heavy rainfall. Consequently, national and local governments required industrial production to be reduced or suspended for a certain time. Power restrictions were imposed in Anhui, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Zhejiang; all are major solar manufacturing hubs. In Sichuan Province, these restrictions impacted an estimated 200,000 tons of polysilicon, 70 GW of wafer, and over 40 GW of cell production capacities.</p>
<p><strong>Market outlook </strong></p>
<p>The report states that the approved multiple GW large project pipelines, a strong focus on distributed power, industry-specific carbon reduction plans, an upgrading of former major coal bases, and a massive build-out of its national grid infrastructure will drive demand for solar to new heights.</p>
<p>In the larger context, the solar industry fits into what China’s economic planners initiated in May 2020, the so-called ‘Dual Circulation Economy,’ which meant that China would become increasingly self-reliant across multiple sectors of its economy.</p>
<p>China’s president Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of technological innovation but indicated that the state, not the private sector, would guide such key initiatives.</p>
<p>The impact of such a re-orientation has yet to be ascertained. However, a few state-owned enterprises, either on their own or in partnership with privately-owned companies, have already extended their reach into the upstream solar realm.</p>
<p>In early June, the NEA announced that it <a href="https://mercomindia.com/china-add-108-gw-solar-end-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> nearly 108 GW of solar power generation capacities to be added in 2022.</p>
<p>By the end of September, an estimated 52.6 GW were added, therefore nearly 48% short of NEA’s envisaged target. AECEA maintained its earlier assessment of 80-90 GW in 2022, representing an increase of 45-63% YoY.</p>
<p>The solar industry in China <a href="https://mercomindia.com/china-exports-modules-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a> to thrive, with 55 GW of solar installations in 2021 and module exports surpassing 100 GW, despite the pandemic and various supply chain issues.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn">
<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a>
</div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

China’s Wafer, Cell, and Module Capacities to Reach 550-600 GW by the end of 2022


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/amazon_polly_43265.mp3?version=1666156866">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Researchers from China, Australia, and Singapore recently used a tube-type industrial plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PEALD) method and announced a maximum power conversion efficiency of 22.8% in a 613-Watt tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) module with 60 cells.</p>
<p>The study titled ‘Atomic scale-controlled tunnel oxide enabled by a novel industrial tube-based PEALD technology with demonstrated commercial TOPCon cell efficiencies &gt;24%’, is published in the journal Progress in Photovoltaics.</p>
<p>The scientists claimed that plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition has the potential to enable improved quality, dense tunnel silicon oxide (SIOx) films at lower cost and with higher throughput.</p>
<p>All the films were deposited in a cell developed by the scientists using a G1 n-type wafer with a width of 170 μm and a surface area of 440.96 square centimeters. The films in the cell were initially subjected to heat at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius for 25 seconds.</p>
<p>The teams used the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method wherein they designed an onsite doped poly-silicon (n+) layer, a uniform and ultrathin silicon oxide layer of approximately 1.3 nm at the crystalline silicon (Si) or SiOx or poly-Si (n+) interface.</p>
<p>In the entire process, the scientists claimed to have maintained the tunnel oxide thickness at 2.4 Å, showing the importance of controlling tunnel oxide thickness at the atomic scale for TOPCon solar cells.</p>
<p>The experiment yielded extremely low recombination current densities of 2.8 fA/cm2 and an implied open-circuit voltage (iVoc) as high as 759 mV.</p>
<p>The tube-type PEALD SiOx cells developed by the scientists resulted in solar cell efficiency and open-circuit voltage of up to 24.2% and 710 mV, respectively, in industrial TOPCon solar cells when they were tested under direct sunlight in standard illumination.</p>
<p>The researchers claimed that PEALD also enables mass production of TOPCon solar cells with enhanced efficiencies.</p>
<p>Researchers have pursued the atomic layer deposition method, a nanoscale fabrication technique, to design and study electronic devices in the last decade.</p>
<p>Emerging innovations in technologies like the internet of things (IoT) and quantum computing have also created scope for particularly plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition method, as it enables area-selective deposition, controlled growth of 2-dimensional materials, and atomic layer etching.</p>
<p>The scientists from <a href="https://en.ntu.edu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nantong University</a> in China, the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (<a href="https://www.a-star.edu.sg/imre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMRE</a>) in Singapore, and Australia’s <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of New South Wales</a> collaborated with Chinese solar cell maker <a href="http://www.tw-solar.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tongwei</a>, and China-based module manufacturer <a href="https://en.risenenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Risen Energy</a> for the experiment.</p>
<p>In September, 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 was <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-cut-production-time-silicon-solar-cells-by-half/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> 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>There is a significant push globally to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-cut-production-time-silicon-solar-cells-by-half/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accelerate</a> research in various solar cell technologies with a focus on improving efficiencies. In April this year, the U.S. Department of Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/us-accelerate-cadmium-telluride-solar-cells-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the launch of a Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Accelerator Consortium, an initiative worth $20 million aimed at rapidly cutting the cost of the second most common photovoltaic technology in use worldwide after silicon.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"> <img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

TOPCon Solar Cells Achieve 22.8% Efficiency With Plasma-Aided Atomic Layer Deposition


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/amazon_polly_39096.mp3?version=1659597896">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Technological innovations are very important for the growth of the solar sector in the country. We have new technological advancements every two to three years, making incumbent technologies obsolete.</p>
<p>India has a unique need to balance the need for competitive pricing and adopt advanced technologies to reduce the levelized cost of energy. The rest of the world has adopted larger size modules (M10 and M12), bifacial, n-type, and TOPCon. But in India, monocrystalline and polycrystalline modules still dominate the market.</p>
<p>Monocrystalline occupied a significant market share in 2021, while technologies like thin-film, bifacial, and HJT make up around 2%.</p>
<p>The two-day <a href="https://mercomindia.com/event/solar-summit-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom India Solar Summit 2022</a>, which began on July 28 in New Delhi, discussed critical issues, opportunities, and emerging trends in the industry, including the government&#8217;s push for local manufacturing, its aggressive solar installation goal of 280 GW by 2030, supply chains, technology, and financing.</p>
<p>The event featured a session, &#8216;<strong>Solar Technology Innovations Poised to Take Over the Market&#8217; </strong>on <strong>July 29, </strong>which discussed solar technologies beyond polycrystalline and monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) that can take over the market.</p>
<p>The panelists were Deepak Ushadevi, MD &amp; CEO, <a href="https://ciel-et-terre.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ciel et Terre</a>; Sishir Garemella, Head – International Business Development, <a href="https://www.pvel.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PVEL</a>; Rahul Khatri, Sales &amp; BD Leader – South Asia, <a href="https://www.dupont.com/solar-photovoltaic-materials/about-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions</a>; and Honey Raza<strong>, </strong>Head – Sales India, <a href="https://www.ginlong.com/us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solis</a>.</p>
<p>The session was moderated by Priya Sanjay, Managing Director, Mercom India.</p>
<p>The panelists discussed new advancements, technologies, and products that can deliver cost savings that the solar market sorely needs.</p>
<p><strong>Floating solar and other evolving technologies</strong></p>
<p>Speaking on the economic feasibility of floating solar projects, Deepak Ushadevi noted, &#8220;Floating solar has been accepted as a viable alternative, and is fast picking up. In 2018, we had a total solar capacity of 1.5 MW -2 MW, but now it has increased to 200 MW of solar capacity. We have abundant water bodies in India and can use them for floating solar projects.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There are challenges in setting up a solar power project. These include access to water bodies and suitable materials for developing floating solar projects. We developed a 92 MW floating solar project in Kayamkulam in saline and humid conditions. A 600 MW floating solar park is also coming up on the Omkareshwar reservoir. We have set up a factory and are making floaters for the floating solar projects ourselves. The shortage of machines is also a factor, but we need to improvise to meet the demands,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Sharing his views on the technologies shaping the solar landscape, Ushadevi said that learning was essential for growth. There is scope for R&amp;D in the Indian solar sector. &#8220;We are spending a lot on floating solar projects. We have converted lands into ponds for R&amp;D purposes and are moving in the right direction. We have limitations in the solar supply chain, but we must grow from that,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Sishir Garemella concurred. &#8220;In the last five years, there has been a significant shift in the module technology market. There is a greater interest in mono PERC, half-cut, n-Type, TOPCon, and heterojunction technology (HJT). Technology is changing rapidly, and tracking the ever-evolving technological landscape isn&#8217;t easy. We have tested TOPCon, but HJT will be a bigger jump.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;One important thing to note is that one technology may not be suited to varying climatic conditions. India is a big country, and climatic conditions vary significantly from one part of the country to the other. So, while deploying new technology, weather conditions must be taken into account. In the backdrop of changing weather patterns, the efficiency of modules and degradation factors acquire greater significance,&#8221; added Garemella.</p>
<p>The next step up in technology would be TOPCon and HJT. They are still in the nascent stage and expensive to manufacture and will continue to remain a niche or premium product until manufacturing processes improve for prices to drop.</p>
<p>Rahul Khatri noted, &#8220;Over the last three years, module technology has changed a lot, and it has changed the module manufacturing business significantly. One of the biggest changes in the recent past is the shift from monofacial to bifacial. Solar is such a technology that you invest in it for 25-30 years. We were stuck with obsolete technologies in the solar sector for quite a long time. But things are changing, and bifacials are more in demand.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Bifacials are the future, and their popularity is bound to grow with time. Now, transparent backsheets are in vogue, and soon we will have backsheets that can work in all conditions. TOPCon and HJT are also going to gain popularity soon. HJT will take some time, but the popularity of TOPCon is going to grow in the near future. The demand for transparent backsheet is also bound to grow, and the availability of glass will affect the production of transparent backsheets,&#8221; added Khatri.</p>
<p>Khatri said that the Indian market was a bit different from other markets. Nearly 80% of the installations were in the last five years. Most of the defects have occurred during the same period. &#8220;We need to focus on this and examine the modules&#8217; quality aspect. It&#8217;s all about testing and taking the field conditions into consideration,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Shared his thoughts on the solar inverters market, Honey Raza said, &#8220;The demand for string inverters is growing, and we are well-equipped to cater to the market&#8217;s demand. There is a bit of uncertainty in the market, and the industry is moving toward 12-inch fabrication. The wattage capacity of modules is increasing, so we have to concentrate on the current level, which is around 17 Amp-19 Amp. The right combination of inverters and modules can help reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and increase the project&#8217;s overall efficiency.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The most critical component is the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) which can handle the current capacity so that the inverter can perform at its optimum level. So, to take care of the current capacity and heat management, IGBT is required. We need to have a reliable IGBT supplier who can cater to the demands,&#8221; Raza added.</p>
<p><strong>Challenges in technology  adoption</strong></p>
<p>The main impediments to the development of the Indian solar market still lie in the policy and regulatory environment, unavailability of R&amp;D infrastructure, and the fact that India is a cost-sensitive market.</p>
<p>Garemella said, &#8220;The solar supply chain is facing many issues, and India is also facing challenges due to supply chain disruptions. India will develop into a manufacturing hub in the next few years, and other countries are looking at India as a manufacturing base. There have been many policy flip-flops in the United States in the past few years, which puts India in a driving position as far as manufacturing is concerned.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Currently, the production and supply of polysilicon, wafers, and cells are controlled by one of two countries, and other countries are looking at India as a big market. There is a strong push by the government to make India a big manufacturing hub. After China, India is going to be the next manufacturing center. There is a need to focus on the quality of materials in the downstream market. There is a lot of volume to sell in India, and quality alignment is necessary. There will be a lot of capital flowing into India, so we must get our act together,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Highlighting the challenges in the solar inverter segment, Raza said, &#8220;In India, climatic conditions vary after every 500 km, and we must take care of the climatic conditions while designing the inverters. We must keep innovating whether we supply to utility-scale or residential projects. It&#8217;s a learning process, and we should ensure that these things are adequately tackled. Developers are now moving toward bifacials and thin-films, and we should be open to new technologies.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;As of now, we are trying to optimize the product range, including the residential and commercial segments. In the last 12-18 months, the prices of raw materials have shot through the roof, and we are trying our best to strike a balance between the financials and sustainability of the projects,&#8221; Raza said.</p>
<p>Ushadevi predicted that renewables would be the next big thing, and climate change would drive it forward. &#8220;Currently, everyone is focussing on clean energy. I think renewables will have a big say in power generation in the coming years. By 2050, 50% of power has to come from renewable sources. The government is doing its bit to take the sector forward, and we must do our bit. Commodity pricing is important, but we must face it and move forward.&#8221;</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn">
<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a>
</div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

India Has to Keep Pace With Technological Innovations to Unlock Solar’s Potential


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/amazon_polly_37057.mp3?version=1656335432">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Mercom hosted a webinar to discuss <strong>&#8216;How to Maximize Power Generation From Various Modules With the Right Inverter.&#8217;</strong></p>
<p>The webinar shed light on the technological challenges and new solutions in the market. The panel discussed ways to maximize power generation from high-power modules with the latest inverter technology.</p>
<p>The panelists also discussed ways to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and enhance the value of solar assets.</p>
<p>The panelists were Sai Charan Kuppili, Technical Director, <a href="https://www.jinkosolar.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jinko Solar</a>; Sumit Kumar, Head-Product Management, <a href="https://www.adanisolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adani Solar</a>; and Habibul Jack, Senior Product Manager, <a href="https://en.si-neng.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sineng Electric</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7639927282405836048?source=Article"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37155" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220.jpg" alt="How to Maximize Power Generation From Various Modules With the Right Inverter" width="600" height="300" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220.jpg 1833w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-300x150.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-768x384.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-650x325.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-624x312.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Twitter-In-Stream_Watch-Webinar-Banner_JUNE-2022_440-x-220-600x300.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>Priya Sanjay, Managing Director, Mercom India, moderated the session.</p>
<p><strong>The right combination of modules and inverters</strong></p>
<p>With the launch of larger modules and new technologies, it has become imperative that the larger modules are efficiently aligned with other equipment, especially the inverters. Inverters with higher input current are needed to match the high-power modules.</p>
<p>On the need to get the right combination of inverters and modules, Sai Charan Kuppili said, &#8220;For any project, the LCOE is very important. The right combination of inverters and modules can help reduce LCOE and increase the project&#8217;s overall efficiency. With the use of suitable inverters, we can have high power density and high energy density. It will reduce the capital expenditure (CAPEX), thus reducing overloading and achieving reduced LCOE.&#8221;</p>
<p>Commenting on the need to select the right inverters, Sumit Kumar said that optimization of inverters is essential. Better performance of modules connected with the right inverters can give the desired output, and the generation of the plant can be maximized. &#8220;If the correct module is paired with the right inverter, we can expect a 2-3% hike in the efficiency of the overall project.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Reducing Levelized Cost of Electricity</strong></p>
<p>Stressing the need to reduce the LCOE of the project, Kumar said, &#8220;The most important thing in selecting the suitable inverter for solar modules is the LCOE. Other important factors are safety, high efficiency, durability, and compatible inverter ratings. With new module technologies coming into the market, the current may go up to 21 amperes.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the recent past, new technologies have invaded the solar space, and it has become essential to accommodate new module technologies. Keeping this in mind, the selection of inverters has become more critical. &#8220;Our main aim is to maximize the power and reduce the LCOE. The AC/DC ratio is also important. If we don&#8217;t select the right inverters, high mismatch and clipping losses will occur, thus reducing the efficiency,&#8221; Kumar said.</p>
<p>Kuppili said one way of optimizing LCOE is to increase the number of modules in a string and reduce the load on the modules. There is also the need to reduce the mismatch loss and clipping loss, which can be achieved by lowering the voltage to 1,500 V and stabilizing the modules.</p>
<p>Habibul Jack said that with high rating inverters such as 1,500V, a smaller number of strings, cables, junction box, and installation time is required, making the entire project cost-effective.</p>
<p>Sharing his views on the effect of wafer size on project performance, Charan noted that more or less all modules work in the same way, but the Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) has better temperature reduction capability.</p>
<p>Considering the LCOE, the number of modules in a string (parallel/series) is changed.</p>
<p><strong>New technologies</strong></p>
<p>As solar photovoltaic technology has evolved over the years, there has been a constant effort to bring the prices down. This, along with the innovations in the solar inverters space, has increased the need to find the right combination to increase project efficiency.</p>
<p>Jack said, &#8220;There has been a significant shift in module technologies recently. String inverters are fast gaining ground and work well with mono PERC, half cut, and other variations. There has been a constant increase in wafer sizes. We are now talking about TOPCon. As for central inverters, high-power modules have never been an issue. Currently, 1,500 V inverters have become the industry trend, and this helps to increase the project&#8217;s performance. We have a big share of the inverter segment in India.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jinko Solar, Adani Solar, and Sineng Electric have been among the top five module and inverter suppliers to the Indian solar market in the calendar year (CY) 2021, according to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-india-solar-market-leaderboard-2022-market-shares-and-profiles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Market Leaderboard 2022</a>. Adani Solar was one of the four Indian manufacturers who made it to the top 10 module suppliers list in 2021.</p>
<p>Kumar said M10 (182 mm) and M12 (210 mm) modules would be the combined winners for the next two to three years. Currently, everything is PERC (monofacial or bifacial).</p>
<p>&#8220;The future is going to be of TOPCon. Currently, the capacity of TOPCon is around 10-15 GW. This will pick up as the efficiency is about 25% at the cell level and 21-23% at the module level. TOPCon will be the leader in the coming years. There is also a chance that heterojunction technology (HJT) will make its presence felt in the near future. Perovskites will also be in the mix, but the TOPCon will lead the way in two to three years,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Regarding new technologies, Jack added that cost reduction is different for the residential, C&amp;I, and utility-scale segments. He said bigger capacity inverters were the need of the hour. &#8220;We might launch bigger capacity inverters in the India market. We are also looking toward the energy storage system segment.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Mono PERC will rule the market for the next two to three years, predominantly with bifacial. After that, TOPCon will lead the market, followed by HJT. TOPCon accounts for 30-35% of the total global capacity, which will increase, whereas HJT accounts for only 10% of the worldwide capacity. By 2028, perovskites might also come into play,&#8221; said Charan.</p>
<p>Speaking about Sineng&#8217;s future plans, Jack said that the company was planning to increase the capacity of its manufacturing facility in India. Currently, the company has a production facility for 8 GW of central inverters and 2 GW of string inverters.</p>
<p>You can watch the webinar <a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7639927282405836048?source=Article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn">
<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a>
</div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Inverters with Higher Input Current Needed to Match the New High-Power Solar Modules

<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>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/staff/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Staff</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"></div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

topcon

Get the most relevant India solar and clean energy news.

RECENT POSTS