Today’s top PV trends
At the start of 2023, nobody really knew what would come of the solar industry over the next 12 months. Whilst fossil fuels were generally out of favour with global leaders, as well as home and business owners, and the uptake of renewable alternatives was rising around the world, experts anticipated that there would be challenges getting in the way of the progress in photovoltaics (PV).
For the most part, the project bottlenecks that have been associated with the pandemic and international conflicts last year were expected to stay — compounded by the ongoing effects of rising inflation across key markets.
But now that the first few months of the year have passed, and the world economic situation has changed, new PV trends are emerging. In fact, the price of key raw materials has dropped more than was expected — and researchers and manufacturers are investing in new, innovative technologies that will propel the entire industry towards success.
So, what exactly is going on in PV and where does one of our top manufacturers — Pylontech — factor into it all?
Lower prices
Thanks to recent research from OPIS, we can see that the price of the raw materials needed to produce the components of a PV system are falling.
In its APAC Solar Weekly, OPIS found that polysilicon produced outside of China got 1.33% cheaper every week — reaching its lowest price, $37.218/kg (R 679.99/kg), at the start of the week commencing on the 18th of April 2023.
This price drop follows the addition of new Chinese polysilicon capacities, which have already contributed to an eight-week decline in the price of the material — and will likely have a positive knock-on effect on the cost of PV components worldwide. The report also found that the price of mono PERC modules is declining and will continue to do so for the next three months.
Whilst we cannot say for certain that this trend will result in more affordable PV systems overall, there is something else going on that will have a positive impact on the components installers can offer end-users in the near future.
This spring, organisations from across the world have been running independent research projects to put new theories and technologies to the test that will stimulate advances across the solar landscape.
Promising projects
A recent study led by scientists from the National Climate Centre of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) found that desert solar parks could have an equal or greater impact on local climates than climate change. That is because they prompt favourable changes in humidity, evaporation and wind speed, which could help the growth of vegetation in dry climates.
Such a valuable discovery has the potential to encourage more global leaders to invest in large-scale solar infrastructure, alongside various deep dives into potentially transformative PV technologies.
First Solar and IIT Madras (IITM) Research Park have been collaborating on the research and development (R&D) of thin-film solar and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a scalable fabrication technique for ultra-thin solar cells. If these flexible technologies hit the market, numerous barriers to uptake could be removed, such as panel fragility and costs.
In equally exciting news, Mauritian researchers have developed a portable sun-tacker prototype for off-grid solar that uses sensors and motors to adjust PV panels to the ideal tilt angle for solar irradiation. The device is ideal for use in remote areas with tropical climates, such as in the South African Development Community (SADC) areas, and could increase currents by around 37% — helping end-users get more out of their supplies.
Although it could be years before any of these developments go much further, there are plenty of opportunities for home and business owners to reap the benefits of solar power — many of which come from Pylontech!
Pylontech batteries
As one of the world’s leading and most trusted lithium battery manufacturers, Pylontech boasts a vast portfolio of residential and commercial energy storage solutions that leverage some of the most innovative features available.
Take the US2000C and US3000C batteries as an example. These low-voltage models come with their own lithium-ion phosphate cells, ensuring the highest possible safety value and most promising life cycle, and offer an impressive 95% depth of discharge for heightened efficiency. Plus, they can be installed in a rack or wall-mounted capacity for flexibility.
The UP25000 and UP5000 are two more attractive batteries, with the perfect features for self-consumption and backup applications. Modular designs provide ease of expansion, whilst the high usable capacities of 2,550Wh and 4,560Wh help optimise power usage. Both models also offer extensive parallel capabilities to support system expansion.
And then there is the Powercube H2. This commercial-scale battery is scalable, with the potential to support up to 12 modules per rack and six racks in a parallel and LiFePO4 technology that prevents damage from common faults for a longer life cycle. Not only that, but the battery can also be stored in a dedicated PowerTower with lockable door kits for heavy duty protection — and a premium finish.
What more could you want from a PV system?
Discover Pylontech’s PV products on our portal today. Just log in or sign up, it is free!