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Astronergy shines with its breakthroughs at Intersolar Europe 2025

Astronergy shines with its breakthroughs at Intersolar Europe 2025

Yahoo13-05-2025

No busbars, no limits: Astronergy showcases ZBB-powered solar breakthroughs in Munich
MUNICH, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At Intersolar Europe 2025, Astronergy reaffirmed its leadership in solar innovation and international collaborations by debuting cutting-edge modules featuring newly upgraded n-type solar cell technology and zero-busbar (ZBB) solar products, alongside strategic partnerships that strengthen its European footprint.
The company's flagship ASTRO N7 and N7s modules were at the center of attention, designed for next-level performance across diverse application scenarios. With Astronergy's latest generation of TOPCon 5.0 technology, these modules deliver higher efficiency, better temperature coefficients, and optimized LCOE performance.
ASTRO N7 and N7s lineup incorporates Astronergy's proprietary ZBB cell technology, which replaces traditional front-side busbars with advanced non-visible contact structures, maximizing light absorption, reducing shading losses, and improving overall module aesthetics and reliability.
As one of the industry's most forward-looking technologies, ZBB represents a key advancement in solar cell architecture, supporting thinner metallization, better current collection, and a lower risk of microcracks. By combining ZBB and TOPCon 5.0, Astronergy delivers a next-generation solution that meets the growing demand for high efficiency and long-term durability, especially under challenging field conditions.
Notably, the ASTRO N7s products stood out for their electrical performance, as well as for their outstanding mechanical durability. The products recently passed TÜV NORD's rigorous high mechanical load and TÜV Rheinland HW4 hail impact tests, validating their reliability in extreme weather environments — a key advantage for markets across Europe and high-latitude regions.
"Intersolar Europe has been a stage for us to demonstrate how our technologies translate into real-world resilience and customer value," said Isabella Ni, GM of Global Marketing at Astronergy. "With TOPCon 5.0 and advanced ZBB designs, we're delivering smart, efficient, and durable solutions to accelerate global decarbonization."
Another milestone during the event was Astronergy's framework agreements with important partners in Europe, marking its extended business footprint in the broader Nordic market and other areas of Europe. The partnerships signify Astronergy's ongoing commitment to tailor solutions for regional needs and build lasting partnerships across the continent.
Astronergy's visually striking booth attracted thousands of visitors, with live product showcases and expert-led briefings drawing praise from industry professionals and media alike. With its presence in solar markets and participation in European initiatives like SolarPower Europe and SSI, Astronergy continues to establish itself as a global partner of choice, offering future-ready PV technology backed by proven reliability.
SOURCE Astronergy

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China's grueling ‘996' work culture is being debated by European startups — 7 founders and VCs on why they are resisting
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China's grueling ‘996' work culture is being debated by European startups — 7 founders and VCs on why they are resisting

The European startup scene was recently shaken by a LinkedIn debate with some venture capitalists applying pressure on founders to embrace a culture of overwork to compete on a global stage. The "996" work culture reigns supreme in China and has been adopted by various tech giants including Jack Ma's Alibaba and Bytedance's TikTok, but the system has also been the subject of much protest in recent years. Tech workers in Europe told CNBC in 2021 that they're turning down job offers, rejecting interviews, or even quitting their roles, upon learning of TikTok's 996 work culture. Sebastian Becker, general partner at Switzerland-based VC company Redalpine added to the debate on LinkedIn by addressing the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has called for removal of the legal work limit of eight hours per day in Germany in a bid to increase efficiency, while keeping the 40-hour week. Becker said Merz' proposal doesn't go far enough, as "40 hours a week won't cut it." "In Silicon Valley, 60-70 hour weeks aren't the exception — they even have a term for it: 996 — 9am to 9pm, six days a week... we can have the same amount of smart, ambitious people, but if we're consistently being outworked, we won't win," Becker said. Index Ventures Partner Martin Mignot in London explained on LinkedIn that 996 originated in China and has "quietly become the norm" at startups internationally. Part of the reason behind this most recent push is that there's a persistent view that Europe's tech and startup scene is lagging behind the U.S. and China, both of which have produced tech giants and are known for intense work cultures. However, Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital, told CNBC Make It that these views are outdated as Europe has produced deca-corns in recent years— companies worth more than $10 billion including Klarna, Revolut, Wise, and The continent has yet to produce a trillion-dollar tech firm like Nvidia. "The European tech market and ecosystem is keeping up today with the U.S. and Asia... back in the 1980s the European tech scene was behind the tech scene on the West Coast of the US, but that's not the case now," Chandratillake said in an interview. The calls for Europe to adopt the 996 work culture sparked a wave of backlash. CNBC spoke with seven European startup founders and VCs on why they disagree. The obsession with China's 996 or Silicon Valley's 24/7 work culture emerges from a glorification of hustle culture in the startup landscape, founders and VCs said. "It's about a fetishization of overwork rather than smart work…it's a myth," Chandratillake said. "California is very good at telling stories and there's a lot of mythmaking around the concept of what startups look like…. there is hard work involved but if you really spend time in that ecosystem, you will discover that lots of people work really hard, but there are also periods where they don't work." Nina Mohanty, a Silicon Valley native and founder of London-based Bloom Money, said there are actually "lasting effects and unintended consequences" to adopting an aggressive overwork culture, "You only have to think about Revolut and the culture that they have is probably the closest that we've seen in Europe to the 996 culture, and they struggled," Mohanty told CNBC. "Their churn rate was incredibly high within their team, and they even struggled to get their banking license, and their culture was actually cited as one of those reasons." For its part, Revolut told CNBC it operates in a "high-growth, high-performance environment." "In line with this, we've evolved how we support our people: through value-based behaviours, structured development, and a culture that's collaborative, challenging, and built for scale," a spokesperson from Revolut said. 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The cheapest grocery stores in 2025 have been named — and the first-place winner is expanding in NYC
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