Solar Technology & PV R&D News
New US study finds renewable energy storage costs need to drop 90%
Researchers in the US have published a study that brings 20 years of renewable energy (solar PV and/or wind plus storage) generation into line with historical energy-demand profiles, to ascertain at what storage cost point renewables can cost-effectively consistently meet 100% demand.
Aug 12, 2019 // Technology, Storage, Tariffs, USA, storage, solar pv, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, BESS, PHES, CAES, Jessika Trancik
Agrivoltaics good for agriculture and panel efficiency
A U.S. research team has found the most efficient locations for agrivoltaics include western America, southern Africa and the Middle East. The researchers found crop land, grasslands and wetlands were the best environments for PV projects linked to agriculture. Conditions suitable for crops are ideal for improving solar module efficiency.
Aug 12, 2019 // Technology, USA, Japan, PV panels, plants, Netherlands, Oregon State University, agrivoltaics
The weekend read: Perovskites step out of the labs
Michael van der Gugten, Sales and Marketing Executive at Smit Thermal Solutions, is convinced that perovskite solar cells have reached maturity, and that they are ready to make the step from the lab to production. He is leading the organization of a conference on this topic and expects that the perovskite community, production equipment suppliers and crystalline silicon cell manufacturers will discuss the implementation of perovskite-silicon tandem cells or the production of standalone perovskite modules.
Aug 12, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Opinions, Solar to Fuel, China, Asia, hydrogen, Michael van der Gugten, Smit Thermal Solutions, ALD, OPV, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
UMass Amherst Researchers Develop New Method To Estimate Solar Rooftop Potential
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) have developed a method for automatically assessing rooftops for solar potential.
Aug 9, 2019 // Technology, Software, USA, Massachusetts, CICS, Prashant Shenoy, Subhransu Maji, ACM SIGKDD, Stephen Lee, DeepRoof, North America, Alaska
Hanergy sets new efficiency record for heterojunction module
Chinese thin film producer Hanergy has set a new record of 24.85% module efficiency for silicon heterojunction technology. The record was achieved at the company’s research & development center in Chengdu, China, and has been confirmed by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, Germany.
Aug 8, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, USA, Germany, China, Europe, Asia, Hanergy, heterojunction module, silicon, Institute for Solar Energy Research, Kaneka, Zhang Bin, Miasolé, CIGS thin film, North America
Indian government invites solar research proposals
The MNRE has invited proposals for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, solar panel recycling, hybrid inverters and new applications that combine solar and storage, among others.
Aug 7, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Storage, Inverters, storage, India, solar cells, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, solar panel, recycling
German-French scientists develop ultra-thin GaAs solar cell with 19.9% efficiency
The researchers have developed a new manufacturing process by using an ultra-thin absorbing layer made of 205-nanometer-thick gallium arsenide (GaAs) and a nanostructured back mirror.
Aug 7, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, France, Germany, solar cell, GaAs, Fraunhofer ISE, C2N
Intersolar SA: where bifacial and trackers collide
The industrial development of the bifacial solar module over the last few years represents one of the most significant events in the world of photovoltaic systems. Today, this technology constitutes one of the most promising trends in the global solar market. During Intersolar South America, Convert will present its bi-facial tracker, an innovative solution to gain more solar energy from the panels.
Aug 7, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, USA, PV plant, pv modules, Brazil, Bifacial PV, Intersolar SA, photovoltaic systems, Convert, trackers
Western Sydney Uni launches new solar racecar to contest 3,000km challenge
Students from Western Sydney University has unveiled its latest solar racing car that it intends to enter in the gruelling 3,000km World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide through Australia’s searing heat this October.
Aug 7, 2019 // Technology, Transport, Australia, Sydney, Western Sydney University, solar racing car, World Solar Challenge, Max Mammone, Barney Glover, Transport, Oceania
Hyundai releases car with solar panel roof
Hyundai has released a version of its Sonata hybrid that has solar panels to help charge its battery.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Storage, Transport, Hyundai, Sonata Hybrid, Asia, solar panel roof, Korea, SMMT, Transport
Don’t have a node for your solar plant? Connect it to the railway!
Railway operators can now feasibly connect solar plants to traction substations, claims a consortium that is now working on a similar demonstration project in the U.K. Almost all of the 30 kW installation’s output will be used to move trains, but in the future storage could come into the picture for larger “railway-connected” solar power projects, says 10:10, the U.K.-based climate change charity that developed the pilot.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, U.K., Aldershot, railway system, Leo Murray, Riding Sunbeams, Great Britain
Economics of road transport starting to favor renewables
According to a new report by BNP Paribas Asset Management, renewables offer more advantages than simply mitigating climate change. Electricity is easier to transport than oil, and wind and solar electricity prices are much more stable than volatile oil prices. An analyst from the French bank argues that major producers will need to reduce oil prices below $20 to compete with clean energy in the transport sector.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Storage, BNP Paribas Asset Management, transport sector, Mark Lewis, oil prices
Fabric-based solar cells on the horizon
New textile-based solar cells developed by Fraunhofer researchers, semitrailers could soon be producing the electricity needed to power cooling systems or other onboard equipment. In short, textile-based solar cells could soon be adding a whole new dimension to photovoltaics, complementing the use of conventional silicon-based solar cells.
Aug 5, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Solar, Germany, Fraunhofer, textile-based solar cells, Europe
SibFU scientists discovered material that can make solar cells more efficient
Researchers at Siberian Federal University, together with colleagues from the Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden), discovered new properties of material based on palladium, which can increase the performance of solar cells.
Aug 5, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Solar, Solar to Fuel, Sweden, SibFU, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, solar cells, palladium, Artem Kuklin, Europe, hydrogen, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
Understanding solid state degradation
Scientists at the U.K.’s Faraday Institution have been able to observe degradation mechanisms at the lithium metal anode in a solid state battery, and made several discoveries which could improve the performance and design of future solid-state lithium-ion batteries.
Aug 5, 2019 // Technology, Storage, Lithium-ion batteries, storage, UK, Oxford University, Tony Harper, Europe
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