solar cells

Utility-scale solar farms are essential players in the energy transition. But with growth comes more exposure, and large solar arrays are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, especially hailstorms. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, utility executives, plant managers, engineers, and energy policymakers need proven, scalable methods for assessing and repairing solar farm damage quickly and effectively.

Perovskite solar cells are a high-efficiency, low-cost alternative to traditional silicon-based solar panels. With the perovskite solar cell industry expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2033, there’s enormous potential for this next-generation technology. The Basics of Perovskites Perovskites are a type of material, with a distinctive crystal structure described as ABX3 (Figure 1). These crystals […]

Several solar power equipment manufacturing companies are building factories in the U.S., with many of those groups saying the investments are due to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its incentives tied to domestic production. One of those companies is Heliene, a Canada-based solar power equipment maker. Heliene, which also makes solar panels […]

The U.S. Court of International Trade has upheld a determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules from China materially injured domestic solar companies.  The decision dated Aug. 7 (but made public on Aug. 21) rejects claims by Chinese firms Trina Solar, Wuxi Suntech Power, […]

Stacking perovskites, a crystalline material, onto a conventional silicon solar cell may dramatically improve the overall efficiency of the cell, scientists from Stanford University concluded in a new study. “Right now, silicon solar cells dominate the world market, but the power conversion efficiency of silicon photovoltaics has been stuck at 25% for 15 years,” explained […]