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					</table><p><u><a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Carolina State University</a></u> scientists have discovered that channeling ions into defined pathways in perovskite materials improves the stability and operational performance of perovskite solar cells.</p>
<p>The discovery paves the way for a new generation of lighter, more flexible, and more efficient solar cell technologies suitable for practical use.</p>
<p>The study titled ‘A multiscale ion diffusion framework sheds light on the diffusion–stability–hysteresis nexus in metal halide perovskites’ is published in <u><a href="https://www.nature.com/nmat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Materials</a></u> journal.</p>
<p>In the experiment, the scientists studied the grain boundaries in perovskite materials. They found that while ‘growing’ a perovskite, the material forms a series of crystals or grains.</p>
<p>The generation of charges for electric current and absorption of light is possible in perovskite through these grains.</p>
<p>However, they observed that the positioning of grains is much more likely to be disoriented in the material, and such an area where grains touch each other is termed to be grain boundary. They found that perovskites are ionic materials and the migration of ions results in certain chemical and structural changes in the material itself.</p>
<p>According to Aram Amassian, the corresponding author of the study, strengthening the grain boundaries helps understand what needs to be done to make perovskites more stable and efficient.</p>
<p>The first author of the study, Masoud Ghasemi said, “What we’ve found is that grains are better protected from impairment when the ions move predominantly along the grain boundary. Designing stronger grain boundaries that protect the grains is essential to block migrating ions and other harmful species like oxygen from entering the grains, mitigating problematic chemical and structural changes in the material.”</p>
<p>The researchers discovered that when a voltage is applied to a perovskite, ions migrate through the material and an increase in this activity makes the material unstable and inefficient.</p>
<p>The team claimed that the migration of ions could be one of the potential reasons stopping the achievement of long-term operational stability in perovskite solar cells.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Perovskite-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-50048 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Perovskite-1.png" alt="Perovskite 1" width="602" height="417" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Perovskite-1.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Perovskite-1-300x208.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Perovskite-1-600x416.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a></p>
<p>Figure 1: Migration of ions in perovskite material. Source: NC State University</p>
<p>“This is an important insight because there are established techniques we can use to engineer perovskite materials and their grain boundaries. Observing the grain boundaries opens the door to a host of new technologies, such as flexible, lightweight solar cells, or layered solar cells (known as <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-claim-solar-cell-shows-27-4-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tandems</a>) that can be far more efficient than the solar harvesting technology used today in so-called solar farms,” Amassian said.</p>
<p>The work may also inform the development of more efficient energy storage technologies.</p>
<p>In an experiment performed by experts at Germany’s Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, experts claimed to have <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tandem-solar-cell-achieves-world-conversion-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> 32.5% conversion efficiency in tandem solar cells, the highest ever for this technology.</p>
<p>Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-roorkee-claim-17-efficiency-perovskite-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a prototype of a low-cost, high-quality perovskite solar cell that achieved a stable conversion efficiency of 17.05%. The experts said that their perovskite solar cell leads to the optimum phase distribution, enlarged grain size, and comes with enhanced crystallinity.</p>


Channeling Ions into Defined Pathways Boosts Perovskites’ Performance


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					</table><p>U.S.-based battery materials producer <a href="https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Redwood Materials</a> received a conditional commitment for a $2 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (<a href="https://www.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOE</a>) to commence the production of anode foil, one of the most crucial components in a battery.</p>
<p>DOE released the commitment to Redwood as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program.</p>
<p>Redwood will use the fund to produce 100 GWh of ultra-thin battery-grade copper foil and cathode-active materials annually, from both new and recycled feedstocks at gigafactory scale in the U.S. This will provide enough battery materials to produce over a million electric vehicles (EV) a year domestically.</p>
<p>The DOE financing to Redwood will help U.S. bolster domestic manufacturing without which battery cell manufacturers in America are estimated to offshore over $150 billion in economic value for anode and cathode components by the end of the decade.</p>
<p>Of the companies Redwood has partnered with, Panasonic will be the first to source the copper foil for cell production in the Nevada gigafactory and the company’s cathode material for battery cell production in its new Kansas plant, that is scheduled to go online in 2025.</p>
<p>Cathode and anode are the two most important components which amount to nearly 80% of the materials cost of a lithium-ion battery. However, Asia dominates in the production of these components.</p>
<p>The production of anode foil will pave the way for battery and automotive manufacturers to meet the new stringent critical mineral and battery component requirements for consumers to qualify for EV tax credits as established by the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022.</p>
<p>Last May, DOE <a href="https://mercomindia.com/us-funding-boost-domestic-battery-manufacturing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> $3.16 billion in funding from President Biden’s ‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’ to expand domestic battery manufacturing and support domestic supply chains.</p>
<p>The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory <a href="https://mercomindia.com/reusing-discarded-materials-circular-economy-energy-storage-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlined</a> measures to limit and reuse the materials used in diverse designs of lithium-ion batteries, to establish a circular economy-based sustainable strategy. A circular economy replaces the end-of-life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, and aims to eliminate waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and business models.</p>


US Loans $2 Billion to Redwood Materials for Battery Anode Foil Production


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					</table><p>Material shortages and supply chain disruptions negatively impacted the sales and financials of solar equipment supplier <a href="https://www.sma-india.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SMA Solar Technology</a> during the first half (1H) of the financial year (FY) 2022.</p>
<p>SMA Solar recorded total sales of €472 million (~$479.52 million), a year-over-year (YoY) dip of 3.27% from €488 million (~$495.85 million). Persistent supply chain difficulties for electronic components continue to affect SMA’s sales and earnings.</p>
<p>SMA’s product portfolio includes solar PV and battery inverters, PV and battery-storage systems system solutions, energy management systems, and charging solutions for electric vehicles. The company also offers digital energy services and extensive services, including operation and maintenance services for solar power projects.</p>
<p>The company’s net income for 1H amounted to €11.6 million (~$12 million), a drop of 13% from €13.3 million (~$14 million) during 1H 2021.</p>
<p>Geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and lockdowns in China caused additional disruptions in the supply chain cycle.</p>
<p>Owing to the persistent strained supply situation for electronic parts, the German company sold approximately 5.8 GW of inverters between January and June 2022, a 15% fall in sales compared to 6.8 GW sold in the same period last year.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40309" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png" alt="" width="1504" height="869" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png 1504w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-300x173.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-768x444.png 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-650x376.png 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-624x361.png 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-600x347.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px" /></a></p>
<p>The company posted an adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) of €16 million (~$16.27 million), a YoY fall of 58% from €38 million (~$39 million).</p>
<p>SMA’s net cash flow from operating activities during 1H 2022 totaled €14.1 million (~$14.22 million), a YoY increase of 17% from €12 million (~$12.19 million).</p>
<p>The gross margin for the period declined to 20.3% from 22.3% in 1H 2021, while the cost of sales amounted to €376 million (~$382 million), against €380 million (~$386.21 million) last year.</p>
<p>SMA’s CEO Jürgen Reinert observed, “The ongoing highly strained supply situation is taking a significant toll on the development of sales and earnings. As in numerous other industries, the difficulties relating to the supply of electronic components are also affecting European inverter manufacturers, illustrating once again the dependency of global supply chains on the Asian markets. We are expecting a significant improvement of the overall situation and profitable sales growth from 2023 onwards. We are preparing for this by building a new gigawatt factory at the Kassel site and consequently doubling our production capacity by 2024.”</p>
<p>The company’s selling expenses rose to €47.8 million (~$49 million), a 10% increase from €43.5 million (~$44.22 million) in the same period last year. The increase SMA said was due to implementing a reorganization project and increased appearances at trade fairs.</p>
<p>SMA estimates that new photovoltaic installations in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region surged between 19 and 21 GW during 1H 2022 compared to 17 GW in 1H 2021, while inverter technology sales in EMEA increased to around €1.2-€1.4 billion (~$1.2-$1.43 billion) compared to €1.1 billion (~$1.118 billion) last year.</p>
<p>New investments in PV technologies in North and South America were between €800-€900 million (~$814-$915.20 million) compared to €800 million (~$814 million) last year.</p>
<p>SMA Solar <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sma-solar-technology-net-income-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> revenue of €984 million (~$1.04 billion) for the FY 2021, a YoY dip of 4.17% from €1,027 million (~$1.49 billion) in the fiscal before.</p>
<p>Another inverter manufacturer, Enphase Energy, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/enphase-energy-revenue-surges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a revenue of $530.2 million in Q2 2022, an increase of 66% from $316.05 million in Q2 2021.</p>


Material Shortages, Supply Disruptions Cause 13% Dip in SMA Solar’s Net Income in 1H 2022

<p><a href="https://epsiloncarbon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Epsilon Carbon</a>, a coal chemical processing company, announced that it plans to invest $70 million (~₹5.2 billion) over the next five years towards establishing 50,000 tons of anode material manufacturing capacity in the country by 2025.</p>
<p>The Mumbai-based company said that it would diversify into the battery material business to develop and manufacture carbon products for the anode components of lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>Epsilon said that its battery materials wing would be set up under a new subsidiary &#8211; Epsilon Advanced Materials, which has already commissioned production in the country to produce 5,000 tons of anode material annually. The company plans to triple this capacity by 2021 and plans to achieve a production capacity of 50,000 tons per year by 2025. Epsilon Advanced Materials was set up to supply synthetic graphite material to cell manufacturers and energy storage device companies.</p>
<p>The company also stated that it had started trials with anode material producers and cell manufacturers globally to start the qualification phase.</p>
<p>Lithium-ion batteries are some of the most commonly used batteries in electronic devices and electric vehicles. The anode is the electrode of a battery that releases electrons during discharge. Lithium-ion batteries use anodes made out of graphite, a carbon-based material.</p>
<p>In March, United States-based XNRGI <a href="https://mercomindia.com/us-based-xnrgi-lithium-ion-factory-gurugram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that the company opened a high-temperature lithium-ion battery factory in Gurugram in India that can produce 240 MWh of battery production capacity. The factory will be spread across 45,000 square feet of land. It said it also has aggressive plans to scale capacity worldwide in the multi GWh range by 2022 with strategic relationships in different parts of the world.</p>
<p>In December 2019, Ather Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ather-energy-ev-li-ion-battery-tamil-nadu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu to set up a two-wheeled electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. The 400,000 square feet factory will be located at Hosur. The company added that it has plans to expand its products and services to 30 more cities over the next few years.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Image credit: Unsplash</p>


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