Vertically integrated PV and ESS manufacturer JinkoSolar, in collaboration with Soochow University, has received the WITec Paper Award 2026 – Gold for research on silicon solar cell defects. The study, titled ‘Correlative Raman–Voltage Microscopy Revealing the Localized Structure–Stress Relationship in Silicon Solar Cells’, addresses defect detection challenges associated with increasingly thin silicon wafers.
By combining high-resolution Raman microscopy with photovoltage and photocurrent scanning, the team achieved sub-micron characterization linking microcracks and stress distribution to electrical performance loss. The research found a correlation between tensile stress in microcrack regions and electrical output degradation, while also showing that localized stress from rear-side processing can trigger and accelerate crack propagation.
JinkoSolar said the technique could support validation of next-generation ultra-low-degradation products and microcrack prevention and control in production lines.
At the TaiyangNews Global PV System Technology Trends H1/2026 Conference, JinkoSolar showed long-term field data with TOPCon modules maintaining a specific power generation advantage over BC modules (see JinkoSolar Shares Data Comparing TOPCon And BC Module Performance).
Leading integrated solar manufacturer LONGi has disclosed environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents for two cell projects to be developed by its Xixian New Area branch in Shaanxi Province.
As part of the first project, LONGi plans to establish a 1 GW BC cell mass production line by leasing existing factory space and installing the required equipment. The second project involves establishing a 100 MW pilot line for crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem cells at LONGi Central Research Institute Phase I. With an investment of approximately RMB 203.53 million, the project will add equipment for perovskite film deposition and rapid crystallization to support tandem cell R&D and process validation.
Last month, LONGi achieved 35.5% conversion efficiency for its independently developed crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Distributed PV development and management company TrinaPower, a subsidiary of Trinasolar, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with cloud-native and AI operating system specialist DaoCloud. The companies plan to establish a joint venture to develop a coordinated power-computing platform and regional token factories integrating renewable energy generation with computing.
The platform will combine TrinaPower’s distributed green power development, microgrid dispatch and energy storage coordination capabilities with DaoCloud’s heterogeneous computing resource pooling and vGPU virtualization technologies. The companies plan to use AI to optimize energy scheduling, demand response and green power trading, while converting green electricity into AI token services.
The cooperation also includes plans for pilot projects and expansion into international markets.
Perovskite solar technology manufacturer RenShine Solar, in collaboration with Nanjing University, has published research in Nature on a surface passivation strategy for large-area perovskite modules. The team developed an ‘organic salt floating’ approach combined with lead carboxylate passivation to address non-uniform passivation and humidity sensitivity.
The technology enabled a 1.2 × 0.6 m commercial-scale perovskite module with a total area of 0.72 m² to achieve a certified efficiency of 22.0% and steady-state power output of 158.4 W. A pilot-scale 810 cm² module achieved a certified efficiency of 24.0%.
RenShine says the modules have also completed IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 testing sequences, retaining 98% of their initial efficiency after 1,300 hours of damp heat testing at 85°C.
In May, Renshine Solar signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Jingling Technology to jointly develop key perovskite materials and downstream applications (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Advanced materials company Pheno Innovations (formerly Phenosolar) has launched PhenoGlass-UVCut400, a UV-blocking functional glass for perovskite PV applications. The product uses bulk doping modification, incorporating cerium, titanium and rare-earth ions during glass melting to provide UV-blocking performance throughout the glass lifecycle.
According to the company, the glass has transmittance of <1% at 360-380 nm and blocks more than 99.5% of UV radiation, while maintaining at least 92% transmittance across the 500-2,000 nm range.
Developed using its PULSE AI materials R&D platform, Pheno Innovations says the glass is compatible with FTO and ITO conductive layers and can be introduced into existing production lines without equipment modifications.
Last year, the company launched PhenoGlass, calling it the ‘industry's first’ perovskite substrate product integrating a self-assembled monolayer (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
