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					</table><p>Switzerland-based engineering company <a href="https://www.meyerburger.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meyer Burger</a> is planning to introduce a unified glass, glass-based product platform for its solar modules.</p>
<p>The modules designed under the platform will have optimized glass on the front and back. They will have enhanced bifaciality, a prominent attribute in heterojunction solar technology.</p>
<p>The company said the products will come with increased durability, low weight, sustainably higher performance, and appealing aesthetics in black, white, and transparent variants.</p>
<p>Meyer Burger hopes to cut manufacturing costs as the new platform enables the scalability of new manufacturing capacities and accelerate mass production.</p>
<p>The company said the platform will help eliminate downtime due to product changes and complex procurement logistics processes caused by product diversity.</p>
<p>The company has set a target of producing solar modules with a total output of approximately 800 MW in 2023.</p>
<p>Meyer Burger has designed production lines for the new platform at its Goodyear site in the United States while the technical upgrades at the company’s Freiberg plant in Germany are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2023.</p>
<p>While the company expanded its production capacity in Germany’s plant to 1.4 GW which would be sufficient for the new platform, Meyer said the ongoing supply chain disruptions for some industrial electronics components have delayed ramping up of the third module line in Freiberg until summer.</p>
<p>Meyer said that it is providing the black and white glass-backsheet modules to its customers while the company transitions to the new product platform. The new platform can be combined with future solar cells technologies such as IBC-HJT and HJT-perovskite tandem.</p>
<p>In 2021, the company <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-module-plant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the beginning of module production using heterojunction technology with an annual capacity of 400 MW which the company said would be expanded to 1 GW.</p>
<p>Last year, the International Energy Agency said in a <a href="https://mercomindia.com/diversifying-global-production-solar-modules-net-zero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that ensuring a secure transition to net-zero emissions will require increased efforts to expand and diversify the global production of solar modules. The report examined solar photovoltaic supply chains from raw materials to the finished product, covering energy consumption, emissions, employment, production costs, investment, trade, and financial performance.</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>
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<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>
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Meyer Burger to Introduce Unified Glass-Glass Platform for Solar Modules

<p>A research team from the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Michigan</a> said they set a new efficiency record for color-neutral, transparent solar cells.</p>
<p>Instead of following the conventional silicon-based design, the team attained 8.1% efficiency and 43% transparency with an organic/carbon-based design. The cells carry a green tint, but it resembles the gray color on sunglasses and automobile windows.</p>
<p>According to lead researcher Stephen Forest, these organic solar cells are compatible with windows that cover the face of most buildings. The organic cells offer the winning combination of high efficiency and high transparency, which silicon doesn’t.</p>
<p>Usually, buildings with glass exteriors use a coating which not only reflects but also absorbs some light, in both visible and infrared spectrums, reducing brightness and heat within the structure. Transparent solar panels can redirect this light to generate energy and reduce the building’s load on the electric grid.</p>
<p>According to Yongxi Li, an assistant research scientist in electrical engineering and computer science, the new material and the structure of the device needed multiple simultaneous trade-offs to ensure- ample sunlight absorption, high voltage, high current, low resistance, and color-neutral transparency.</p>
<p>The organic compounds in the new material are engineered to be transparent in visible light and absorb the near-infrared light. The research team has also developed optical coatings to boost the power generated from infrared light and transparency in the visible light.</p>
<p>The color-neutral version of this device was made from an indium tin oxide electrode. When a sliver electrode was introduced in the device, it ramped up the efficiency to 10.8% with 45% transparency; however, the mild greenish tint of the device may not be acceptable in some window designs.</p>
<p>Older transparent solar cells roughly offer 2-3% light utilization efficiencies; meanwhile, indium tin oxide cell is rated at 3.5% and the silver version at 5%. Both versions can be manufactured using materials that are less toxic than older versions of transparent solar cells.</p>
<p>The research team now aims to improve the light utilization efficiency of 7% and the lifetime of the cell to 10 years.</p>
<p>Mercom had earlier <a href="https://mercomindia.com/semi-transparent-perovskite-solar-windows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> on Australian scientists, led by members of the ARC Center of Excellence in Exciton Science, who had published a research paper stating that they have 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>Recently, the researchers at <a href="https://www.iastate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iowa State University</a> said they had come up with an innovative way to stabilize perovskite cells at high temperatures. They have developed a technique that has made the material more stable at higher temperatures.</p>
<p>Image Credit: University of Michigan</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>

These Organic Solar Cells Can Be Used on Windows to Generate Energy

<p>Australian scientists, led by members of the <a href="https://excitonscience.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ARC Center of Excellence in Exciton Science</a>, have published a research paper stating that they have succeeded in producing semi-transparent perovskite solar cells that generate electricity.</p>
<p>This breakthrough could allow for windows in buildings and automobiles to generate electricity. The ability to achieve both high efficiency and stability in the photovoltaic performance in these cells is critical and has not been previously achieved using existing device architectures.</p>
<p>These semi-transparent perovskite solar cells with cross-linked hole transport layers were also found to have better long-term stability compared to their predecessors. If successfully implemented, this technology could turn windows into active power generators and would revolutionize the way buildings and automobiles are designed.</p>
<p>In their paper, the team said they explored the use of a solution-processed cross-linked hole transportation layer (HTL) from N4,N4′-di(naphthalen-1-yl)-N4,N4′-bis (4-vinylphenyl)biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (VNPB) molecules as an alternative to the conventional Spiro-OMeTAD within an FTO/SnO2/C60-SAM/Perovskite/HTL/MoOx/ultra-thin gold/MoOx ST-PeSC device architecture.</p>
<p>According to the paper, through an optimized multi-step thermal treatment process that maximizes charge extraction and reduces recombination, power conversion efficiencies between 10 and 30% for Spiro-OMeTAD-free devices can be achieved.</p>
<p>The team is currently looking into integrating this new technology into commercial products with Australian glass maker Viridian Glass.</p>
<p>Earlier, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/lead-absorbing-technology-solar-perovskite-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">developed</a> technology that could sequester the minuscule quantity of lead used in developing perovskite solar cells. This development might mark the beginning of an efficient emerging photovoltaic technology.</p>
<p>Previously, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/canadian-solar-achieved-solar-cell-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that Canadian Solar, a global solar module supplier, and project developer, has announced that its team of researchers has set a world record of 23.81% conversion efficiency using the n-type large area multicrystalline silicon solar cell. This is the third time in nine months that the company has announced a new world record, beating its own record of 22.8% and 22.28% for p-type multicrystalline cells.</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/nithin-thomas-prasad/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Nithin Thomas</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/Nithin-2-1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Nithin Thomas,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/author/nithin-thomas-prasad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Nithin Thomas.</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Nithin-2-1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/author/nithin-thomas-prasad/" rel="noopener">Nithin Thomas</a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Reuters News, he has covered oil, metals and agricultural commodity markets across global markets. He has also covered refinery and pipeline explosions, oil and gas leaks, Atlantic region hurricane developments, and other natural disasters. Nithin holds a Masters Degree in Applied Economics from Christ University, Bangalore and a Bachelor&#8217;s Degree in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai.<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/author/nithin-thomas-prasad/" rel="noopener">More articles from Nithin Thomas Prasad</a></div>
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Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells Could Turn Windows into Power Generators

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