If you are interested in the photovoltaic industry, you can follow the News section of our website. We will regularly collect global current affairs news in the industry and share it with you.
Hot 1: 27.09%! New Record for Solar Cell Efficiency
Recently, as per the authoritative certification report from the ISFH (Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin) in Germany, the Heterojunction Back Contact (HBC) solar cell independently developed by LONGi Green Energy has achieved a 27.09% conversion efficiency using an all-laser patterning mass production process. This sets a new world record for the efficiency of single-crystal silicon solar cells.
This breakthrough follows LONGi Green Energy’s previous world record of 26.81% silicon solar cell efficiency set in November 2022.
LONGi Green Energy has continuously innovated to address the high-cost bottleneck in the patterning technology of HBC solar cells. They abandoned the expensive photolithography process in favor of an all-laser patterning technique, achieving a 27.09% conversion efficiency.
Compared to bifacial heterojunction cells, HBC solar cells reduce the use and production cost of traditional indium-based transparent conductive films (ITO).
Through continuous technological improvements, the LONGi Green Energy R&D team developed ultra-thin TCO films with reduced indium content. These measures have further validated that HBC solar cells are an efficient, low-cost, and proprietary industrial technology.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/AAnU7sfPGMTm3aeJT_bLww
Hot 2: 1.8GW! South Africa Initiates New Round of Solar PV Tender
On December 14, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa officially opened the tender window, issuing bids for 1.8GW of solar PV capacity to independent power producers.
The application process for the seventh round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP) will continue until April 30, 2024, with the deadline for bidders to apply for estimated cost letters set for January 31, 2024.
China will provide 66GW of solar energy infrastructure to South Africa.
As the government aims to promote comprehensively developed projects, the successful projects in this round are expected to be completed and integrated into the grid within 24 months after the commercial conclusion.
The notice from the Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme of South Africa confirms that before submitting documents, each potential project must pay a non-refundable deposit of 25,000 South African Rand (equivalent to $1,380).
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ql4S8kiLgLfBscdYmQ0mlg
Hot 3: Israel’s Regulatory Authority Approves 2.5 GW Renewable Energy Grid Connection
According to a statement from Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Water Infrastructure, the Israeli Electric Corporation has approved grid connections for up to 2.5 GW of renewable energy, with most power stations joining the grid in the northern and southern parts of Israel.
Minister Israel Katz stated, “We are turning Israel into a renewable energy kingdom. We will produce and store clean energy to sell to other countries. We are preparing for the present and post-Hamas conflict electricity operations.”
The regulatory authority will allow 2,300 MW to 2,500 MW of renewable energy to connect to the grid during the day and 1,000 MW at night, including 1,000 MW to 1,200 MW to the low-voltage grid.
In September, the Ministry of Energy and Water Infrastructure indicated that, after recalculating the national grid’s capacity, it will permit 2,000 MW of renewable energy to connect to the grid. The Ministry stated that grid congestion was the main reason for halting the connection of new renewable energy power stations.
The Israeli government has allocated ILS 17 billion ($4.4 billion) to address the country’s grid congestion issue. The project, led by Noga, aims to integrate more renewable energy production plans and storage facilities into the grid by 2030.
The country primarily uses photovoltaic (PV) power generation to increase its electricity production capacity, with about 5 GW already installed. The goal is for renewable energy to account for 20% of total electricity generation by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_m0kgGa2tbnPi8sBOua-Sw
Hot 4: Brazil Restores Import Taxes on Solar Panels and Wind Turbines!
On December 12, the Brazilian government announced the restoration of import taxes on solar panels and wind turbines, along with reinstating import taxes on 324 related products. This measure aims to promote the production of renewable energy equipment in Brazil.
The Brazilian Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated in a declaration that the government has removed the 12% import tax subsidy on solar panels, as the country also produces similar products. Additionally, the government revoked more than 300 temporary tax reduction measures for solar components, effective within 60 days.
With this decision, imported solar panels will again be subject to the common external tariff (TEC) of the Southern Common Market (Mercosul), with a tax rate of 10.8% starting from January 1, 2024.
