Solar Technology & PV R&D News

American scientists find way for efficiently conversion of photons by silicon
A scientific group from two U.S.-based universities has discovered how to transfer the energy between the molecules of silicon and organic material. So far, this phenomenon was only theoretical. The discovery has vast prospects for medical, solar power, and quantum computing applications.
Dec 12, 2019 // Technology, USA, silicon, North America, photons
Crystallographic defects can improve battery performance
A group of researchers from Rice University of Texas have found out that introducing antisite defects into lithium iron phosphate lattice makes the roads for lithium ion broader.
Dec 12, 2019 // Technology, Storage, USA, North America, Rice University of Texas
Investors learn about Tasmania’s green hydrogen potential
The Australian state of Tasmania has approached international investors to present its unique potential for the production of hydrogen from renewable sources, as it aims to position itself at the forefront of the nation’s green hydrogen push.
Dec 12, 2019 // Technology, Markets & Finance News, Policy, Solar to Fuel, Australia, hydrogen, Oceania, Steve Davy
Creating a more resource-efficient solar power industry
PSS, which focuses on selling service and performance instead of products, is usually seen as a means to realize a circular economy, in which economic activity is decoupled from resource consumption and waste is minimized.
Dec 12, 2019 // Technology, Europe, recycling, CIRCUSOL, PSS, PVMINDS
AI-driven robots are making new materials, improving solar cells and other technologies
Ada, an AI-driven robot, searches for new solar cell designs at the University of British Columbia.
Dec 12, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, USA, Canada, UK, Europe, solar cell, North America, University of British Columbia, Curtis Berlinguette, Benji Maruyama, Apurva Mehta, Kristin Persson, Keith Brown, Joshua Schrier, John Gregoire
Energy Materials Corporation to help scale-up creation of perovskite solar PV panels
Energy Materials Corporation reports that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office has chosen EMC to progress perovskite photovoltaic module development and research.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, PV panels, perovskite, Energy Materials Corporation, Energy Solar Energy Technologies
US research laboratory rewires solar cell raising efficiency to 27.3%, sees path to greater than 32 percent
NREL has released a paper showing an experimental solar cell, using a unique method for wiring two different solar cells to a single, that raised the cell's efficiency by 4 percent. As well the document provides a respectable review of different technologies being developed.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, USA, NREL, solar cell, North America
Steel yourselves, Swinburne researcher uses solar to decarbonise steel
Swinburne PhD candidate Suneeti Purohit's remarkable double innovation utilises solar power to decarbonise the steel industry and save iron ore miners cash.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, Australia, Oceania, Swinburne, Suneeti Purohit, decarbonise, Concentrated solar power
Next-generation monograin layer solar cells containing silver
The scientific team from TalTech has finally succeeded in improving the performance of their innovative photovoltaic cells by replacing part of copper in absorbing layer with silver.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, Europe, TalTech, silver, solar sells, Tallinn
French research institute breaks efficiency record for silicon heterojunction solar cells
LITEN, a major European research institute, announces a 24.25 percent record, approved by the German independent calibration and test laboratory.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, France, solar cells, Europe, LITEN
Neural networks improving solar power forecasting
An international research team has developed a new approach for solar power forecasting that combines neural networks and pattern sequences for the first time. The performance of the new Pattern Sequence Neural Network (PSNN) was tested on an Australian data set that includes information from two years of forecasts. It can be used with different clustering and cluster-sequence extraction algorithms, and can be applied to multiple related time sequences
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Australia, Oceania, PSNN, PSF, Neural networks
New membrane technology to boost water purification and energy storage
Imperial College London scientists have created a new type of membrane that could improve water purification and battery energy storage efforts.
Dec 11, 2019 // Technology, Storage, water, London, Imperial Colleg, battery energy, Nafion, Qilei Song, Neil McKeown, Rui Tan, Nigel Brandon
Israel scientists find new way to keep dust off solar panels
Inspired by the lotus effect, scientists from Negev-based BGU have examined mechanisms and forces that may be improved to keep dust off solar cells for higher performance. The innovative technology allows removing 98% of the dust amount from panel surface.
Dec 10, 2019 // Technology, Solar Panels, Asia, Israel, PV cell, BGU
Chinese researchers study gas release when combusting PET-laminated thin-film solar panels
A group of researchers from the Chinese national research institute has examined the way flexible thin-film solar modules with PET-lamination behave when burnt. The findings show that, in the process of combustion, the device releases such toxic emissions as HCN, hydrofluoric acid, SO2 and some VOCs.
Dec 10, 2019 // Technology, China, Asia, solar modules, thin-film, flexible, SKLFS
Walkable solar pavement
A research group from China has developed a solar floor tile for pedestrians’ and cyclists’ paths. The innovation has been piloted on Hong Kong-based Green Deck. The walkable tile is claimed durable, heat-resistant, nonslip and conversion efficient.
Dec 9, 2019 // BIPV, Technology, China, Asia, PV tile