Media. 12 Dec 2019 US research lab rewires solar cell efficiency to 27.3%, sees path to greater than 32% NREL has published a paper showing an experimental solar cell, with a unique technique for wiring two separate solar cells into one, that increased the cell’s efficiency by 4%. The document also offers a respectable review [...]
Media. 12 Dec 2019 ARENA announces major research funding into end-of-life solar PV issues The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced AUD 15 million ($10.3 million) in research funding to investigate end-of-life issues for PV modules. Ultimately it is hoped that the research will increase solar PV efficiency while lowering costs. Image: First Solar At [...]
Media. 11 Dec 2019 Liten research institute claims 24.25% efficiency for heterojunction cell The French institute said the result has been certified by ISFH CalTeC, in Germany. The manufacturers claim they were able to increase cell performance by improving the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of amorphous silicon nanolayers and the conductive and anti-reflective transparent oxide [...]
Media. 11 Dec 2019 Canada’s Nova Scotia wants solar-plus-storage on brownfield sites The province’s Alternative Energy Resource Authority is seeking proposals for three utility scale PV projects ranging in generation capacity from 800 kW to 4 MW. Two of them should be coupled with large scale batteries with a total storage capacity of up to [...]
Media. 10 Dec 2019 Scientists analyze toxic gases released from burning thin-film, PET-laminated modules Scientists from China’s State Key Laboratory of Fire Science have analyzed the combustion behavior of flexible PET-laminated PV panels. They found toxic gases including sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide and a small amount of volatile organic compounds are released when [...]
Media. 10 Dec 2019 Walking on sunshine Chinese scientists have developed a PV floor tile they say is suitable for pavements and cycling tracks. The devices were tested on a ‘green deck’ in Hong Kong. The developers say the tiles have demonstrated satisfactory solar energy conversion, anti-slip performance, heat-resistance and strength. The developers of the [...]
Media. 09 Dec 2019 The weekend read: Taking the lead This quarter, pv magazine‘s UP Initiative focuses on lead – a toxic heavy metal that’s present in many PV technologies, and one that’s often mentioned in connection with hazardous substances across the green energy supply chain. We take a closer look at the issue and ask what [...]
Media. 09 Dec 2019 French researchers developing algorithm to identify losses in PV projects Liten, a research institute of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, is developing a method of assessing losses at every stage from the reception of solar rays to the injection of electricity into the grid, to ‘make it possible [...]
Media. 06 Dec 2019 France deployed 707 MW of solar in first nine months of 2019 Solar electricity production increased by almost 9.2% in the January-September period, but installations barely changed from the first nine months of the preceding year. Image: jphilipg, flickr France’s Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition has published new solar installation [...]
Media. 06 Dec 2019 Coupling pumped hydro with renewables and other storage technologies The combination of pumped hydro with other storage technologies can increase renewables penetration, improve operational safety and reduce maintenance costs at large-scale hydropower plants, according to new research. The study also focuses on techniques to determine the optimal size of renewables-based pumped [...]
Media. 05 Dec 2019 Japanese researchers explain why organic solar cells are damaged by UV light Scientists have observed that the efficiency of an organic PV device decreases by around 50% when it is exposed to 100-h light irradiation. They attributed this loss to increased resistance of the organic semiconductor layer. Image: Marufish, flickr Researchers [...]
Media. 05 Dec 2019 A new sizing approach for PV self-consumption without storage Spanish researchers are proposing a customer-driven method described as an intuitive tool for investors and engineers to assess how self-consumption from solar generation can be profitable. The method is said to take into account economic parameters such as taxes, depreciation and the [...]