[SMM PV Flash] Chinese Researchers Develop Lignin-Based Low-Temperature Silver Paste for HJT Cells

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has proposed a standardised naming system for solar cells listed under ALMM List-II, introducing a 14-character alphanumeric code to identify the origin of polysilicon, ingots, wafers and cells, as well as cell technology, wafer size and conversion efficiency. The proposed system will distinguish between domestic and overseas sourcing and cover technologies including PERC, TOPCon, HJT, BC and perovskite. Cell models that have already completed inspection or been listed under ALMM List-II will also be required to adopt the new naming format after the final rules are issued. The move is intended to improve supply chain transparency and product traceability while strengthening India’s oversight of domestic manufacturing qualification and imported solar products.

A joint investigation by Dutch internet intelligence company Modat and the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL) identified 8,547 renewable energy systems across Europe that were directly accessible from the internet, including 7,942 solar PV systems across 34 countries. Exposed systems included management interfaces, control panels and other operational platforms, with some allowing remote functions such as system start-up, shutdown or reset. Researchers warned that such exposure could enable attackers to identify and potentially access renewable energy control networks. As solar plants increasingly rely on digital monitoring, remote operation and centralised control, cybersecurity risks associated with inverters, controllers and communication equipment are becoming a more important part of asset management.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), in collaboration with Chinese perovskite company UtmoLight, have achieved a certified steady-state conversion efficiency of 23.5% for a large-area perovskite PV submodule. The device measures around 30cm by 30cm, with an active area of 676cm², improving on the previous efficiency record for devices of a similar scale. The team improved performance by removing the conventional nickel oxide layer and optimising material and interface design while maintaining efficiency during scale-up. The next stage will focus on developing modules of around 2.8m² to test efficiency, stability and manufacturing consistency at commercial module scale. Scaling perovskite technology from small laboratory cells to large-area modules remains a key challenge for commercialisation, making the latest result an important step toward reducing the performance gap between lab-scale cells and full-size modules.