Solar Technology & PV R&D News

A U.S. research group has developed a metal-carbon-nanotube composite – MetZilla – which can be embedded in commercial, screen-printable silver pastes and is said to reduce the formation of hotspots in solar modules and to prolong panel lifespan. The composite metal contacts are also ‘self-healing’ as they are able to regain electrical continuity after cycles of complete electrical failure caused by extreme strain.

Next year, NASA is planning to forward a Ben-Gurion-created photovoltaic prototype to International Space Station, which is supposed to become a huge move toward nongovernmental individual space operations, as was stated in Tazpit Press Service.

As William Marsh Rice research university scientists say, PSC can be manufactured under outdoor conditions, remain intact during months and have an efficiency exceeding 12 per cent, in case we use In instead of part of plumbum. Such an alteration will as well diminish defects that give negative impact to the solar panel bandgap.

U.S. Argonne National Laboratory researchers have tested a group of electrolytes which are supposed to maximize the Li-S batts performance. The team has established a selection approach to help choosing the best electrolyte for a certain battery cell.

Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed an organic polymer electrode which they claim demonstrates stable function for a sodium-ion battery over 50,000 cycles and also offers encouraging performance in magnesium-ion and aluminum-ion storage devices.

The Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) has issued two tenders for the supply and installation of 5,000 small solar irrigation pumps and 700 solar trees in the state.

Five different types of solar cells fabricated by research teams at the Georgia Institute of Technology have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to be tested for their power conversion rate and ability to operate in the harsh space environment as part of the MISSE-12 mission. One type of cell, made of low-cost organic materials, has not been extensively tested in space before.

The Space Solar project will supply electricity to distant military posts, with no necessity to endanger convoys.

Smart Energy Hub system can work both as an electrolyser and as a fuel cell. In the first case, it stores energy in the form of biogas. In the second case, it converts gas into heat and electricity. The system has been developed by Sylfen and French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.

Rice University scientists believe they've overcome a major hurdle keeping perovskite-based solar cells from achieving mainstream use.

A new type of PV plants is being developed: solar systems consisting of rows of small man-made sunflowers, which automatically turn their heads toward the sun.

University of New Mexico and Air Force Research Laboratory scientists have teamed up to prolong the life of solar modules by harnessing the Atom Ant-like strength of carbon nanotubes.

Research from Canada has revealed liquid-like lineshape dynamics in cesium-lead iodide perovskite nanocrystals. The findings could be used to produce cheaper and more efficient perovskite cells, researchers claim.

A technique based on optical imaging has been used by an international research team to illuminate strains in lead halide perovskite solar cells without harming them. The scientists claim the approach helped them discover misorientation between microscopic perovskite crystals was the main cause of the strains.

This has been a breakthrough year for non-battery storage, with key advances in pumped hydro, power-to-gas, and thermal storage technologies. Many industry players are moving beyond pilot projects to contracted projects, which could lead to increased scale and lower costs.