Moser Baer says it has upped the conversion efficiency of its amorphous silicon single-junction thin-film modules from 6% to 7.3%, which translates into a module wattage improvement of 400W/panel from 340W/panel (for full-size 5.7m2 modules).
PV World talks with IBM's David Mitzi about the company's new hybrid approach to thin-film photovoltaics, which solves some key problems in materials performance, and discusses the near-term goal for conversion efficiency at both the cell and module level.
German thin-film solar PV developer Avancis says tests with the US' National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) show its 30x30cm encapsulated CIS solar modules achieve 15.1% aperture-area efficiency.
SunEdison has received final approval from the Italian government to build a 72MW PV solar power plant in northeastern Italy near Rovigo, what will be the largest PV solar plant in Europe, surpassing a 60MW farm in Spain and a 50MW plant in Germany (another MEMC project).
Toshiba is setting its sights on the domestic Japanese home solar system market, signing a third-party US panel supplier to help build the cornerstone of a new residential solar offering.
PV solar installations are expected to soar in 2010, but erosion in average selling prices (ASP) seen in 2009 will continue to squeeze profits and intensify industry competition, according to an industry analyst's report.
In a slump year that still managed 13% growth, the PV industry witnessed a key regional shift in supply that will cause a rethinking of how PV shipments should be analyzed -- thanks to China/Taiwan, where price points for both cells and modules give a distinct advantage, writes Paula Mints from Navigant Consulting.
The UK government's recently announced feed-in tariff (FIT) is a positive step for domestic renewable energy, but lessons learned from US efforts will be key to not only successful implementations but also managing expectations from the start, according to Gartner analysts.
