CIS Cluster Tool Project
New Manufacturing Procedures for Cu-In-Se Based Thin Films
The CIS Cluster Tool project is starting its work on the development of new manufacturing procedures for copper indium selenide-based thin film semiconductors (CIS) as part of a sponsoring project within the „Photovoltaics Innovations Alliance“. more...
Combination of Nanotechnology and Optics
Nanotech Improves Energy Yield by 20 Percent
Sophisticated combination of nanotechnology and optics has enabled German PV specialist J.v.G. Thoma to develop a new production method capable to enhancing the performance of standard modules by more than 20%. more...
Interdigitated Back-Contact Silicon Solar Cells
Efficiencies Exceeding 23%
Imec, together with its silicon photovoltaic industrial affiliation program partners Schott Solar, Total, Photovoltech, GDF-SUEZ, Solland Solar, Kaneka, and Dow Corning, has demonstrated a conversion efficiency of 23.3% for interdigitated back-contact (IBC) silicon solar cells. more...
Manz to Acquire CIGS Module Line from Würth Solar
Preparing for Hands-on Innovation
Reutlingen-based PV production systems provider Manz has signed a letter of intent to acquire Würth Solar’s CIGS solar module production line in Schwäbisch Hall, together with all associated CIGS licences and know-how. more...
Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance
Inventux Research Project Receives Funding
Inventux Technologies AG, together with industry partners PvcomB, NEXT ENERGY and Hüttinger Elektronik, is beginning a research project based in the Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance established by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and the BMU (Federal Ministry for the Environment). more...
EU PVSEC: Award for Pioneering Work on Wafer Based Silicon PV Cells
Wim Sinke Recieves European Becquerel Price
Prof. Wim Sinke, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands ECN, has received the European Becquerel Prize for his pioneering work on wafer based silicon photovoltaic cells and modules. The ceremony took place at the opening of EU PVSEC in Hamburg. more...
Long-Term-Stable Copper Metallization
Fraunhofer ISE Showcases Cost-Reducing Metallization Concepts
German Fraunhofer ISE has developed a technology of producing solar cell contacts from low-cost materials instead of expensive silver. more...
Simulator
Organic Solar Cell Simulation
Version 3.2 of Setfos Software comes with a number of improvements and new features: more...
Half a Billion Euro Investment in Arnstadt
Bosch: New PV-Competence Center Inaugurated
Bosch Group has inaugurated its new photovoltaics center. Overall, the company has invested more than half a billion euros in this facility. In addition to the Solar Energy division‘s headquarters. more...
ISES Congress
Rapid Transition to a Renewable Energy World
The ISES Solar World Congress 2011 (SWC 2011) in the field of solar energy and building will take place from 28 August – 2 September 2011 in Kassel, Germany. more...
Rise in Cell Efficiency
Commercial Ready CPV Cell Achieves 41.4%
Solar Junction announced another swift leap forward in cell efficiency. Just one month after achieving 40.9 percent efficiency, the company has now reached 41.4 percent on a production cell. more...
Antennas for more Efficiency
Nanoantennas of the Highest Precision
In the future, tiny antennas made of metal with the ability to capture sunlight might lead to more efficient photovoltaic power generation. Physicists of the University of Würzburg have now produced such antennas from gold – with a previously unheard of precision. Nanoantennas can collect light and concentrate it into tiny spaces – similarly to a burning lens, but much more efficiently. This allows a more efficient utilization of light energy. more...
University of Texas designed spray-painted solar cells
Solar Cells Sprayed on Roofs
University of Texas Chemical engineers are currently looking for new ways of designing and building solar cells, in such a way that they could be spray-painted on roofs, windows, and walls. Harnessing the power of the sun could in the near future be a lot closer at hand than it is today. more...
Efficiency Record for CIGS Cells
13.4 % Efficiency for CIGS thin film modules out of mass production
Q-Cells has reached an efficiency of 14.7 per cent for a CIGS thin film solar module, verified by Fraunhofer ISE. The new CIGS world record was measured on a monolithic integrated solar module out of mass production. more...
High-performance Nanotech Materials
Solar-Thermal Flat Panels that Generate Electric Power
Boston College and MIT researchers report in the journal Nature Materials about high-performance nanotech materials arrayed on a flat panel platform demonstrated seven to eight times higher efficiency than previous solar thermoelectric generators, opening up solar-thermal electric power conversion to a broad range of residential and industrial uses. more...
One Wavelength Fits All
Structuring of Thin-film Solar Cells with a Single Laser Wavelength
Structuring of a PV module into a number of cells is necessary to lower the current and to increase the voltage, and is typically accomplished with nanosecond laser pulses of different wavelengths. Due to the many available laser sources, complex and expensive scribing setups are necessary. To overcome this a concept for laser structuring of thin-film PV modules using a single wavelength allows prediction of the ablation behaviour for a given laser pulse energy. more...
Solar Cells by the Metre
Laser technology in the production of organic solar cells
The goal of the EPIO joint research project is to produce low-priced flexible organic solar cells by the metre in a cost-effective roll-to-roll process. New laser technology will play a key role in meeting this target. more...