[SMM PV Flash] Nearly 8,000 European Solar Systems Found Exposed Online, Raising Cybersecurity Concerns

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.

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.

Researchers at Guangdong University of Technology have developed a biomass lignin-based low-temperature silver paste for heterojunction (HJT) solar cells by partially replacing conventional petroleum-based epoxy resin with modified lignin. In the optimised formulation, lignin replaced around 25% of the epoxy resin while improving printability, adhesion and electrical conductivity, with contact resistance reduced by about 62%. HJT cells using the new paste achieved a conversion efficiency of 25.96%, compared with 25.01% using the reference formulation. As HJT metallisation relies heavily on low-temperature silver paste, material cost and paste performance remain important factors in cell manufacturing, and lignin-based formulations could provide an alternative route for material substitution and process optimisation.