Solar Technology & PV R&D News

A flexible approach to offshore solar
Researchers in the Netherlands are trialing a floating solar installation based on flexible thin-film PV components. The suggestion behind their principle is that such modules, in combination with a recently made flexible racking system, will certainly produce a system able to roll with the activity of the water, rather than attempting to oppose it.
Jun 26, 2020 // Technology, Floating PV, pv modules, Europe, Netherlands, thin-film, flexible
Sub-nanometric bits to stabilize lithium-oxygen batteries
The storage modern technology assures ten times the energy density supplied by lithium-ion batteries however notorious biking instability stays a problem. Researchers in South Korea might have come an action nearer a service.
Jun 25, 2020 // Technology, Storage, South Korea, Asia, kaist, lithium-oxygen battery, Jeung Ku Kang
Heterojunction MWT solar module based upon 23%- effective cells
Scientists in the Netherlands have actually asserted that a heterojunction steel wrap-through solar module they are designing could offer a 4% performance enhancement over traditional heterojunction panels.
Jun 24, 2020 // Technology, Europe, solar cell, heterojunction, Netherlands, Gianluca Coletti
Self-cleaning PV system with active cooling technology
An international research study group has actually created a self-cooling PV system including a 250 W 60-cell polycrystalline component and a thermal enthusiast attached to the back side of the panel. The cleaning technology is based upon a microcontroller programmable integrated circuit, which manages a rotating DC electric motor.
Jun 23, 2020 // Technology, Residential, Malaysia, India, China, Asia, PV system, self-cooling
New chemistry guarantees much better lithium sulfur batteries
Researchers in the U.S. have established a brand-new cathode chemistry for lithium-sulfur batteries, which they say pledges to conquer performance problems originating from sulfur's reduced conductivity and also tendency to react with lithium.
Jun 22, 2020 // Technology, Storage, USA, North America, lithium-sulfur batteries, Chao Luo
Low-cost straight solar-to-hydrogen passions see the light
The road to low-cost hydrogen production is riddled with gaps and power losses. Scientists in Australia have demonstrated reconsidering solar innovation as well as missing electrolysers could hold great pledge for reaching the hydrogen holy grail.
Jun 22, 2020 // Technology, Solar to Fuel, Australia, Oceania, efficiency, Kobad Bhavnagri, solar-to-hydrogen, Siva Krishna Karuturi
Parabolic bifacial module with active cooling system
Researchers in Morocco have actually made a brand-new bifacial module with a cooling system, based upon bifacial parabolic solar cells that are attached to each various other through tubes for panel cooling. They are currently patenting the tech, however have yet to produce a first prototype.
Jun 22, 2020 // Technology, Africa, Morocco, Parabolic bifacial module, cooling system, USMBA, El Ghzizal
Graphene doping a progression for sodium batteries
Scientists at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have established an anode from graphene doped with sodium, which they state could possibly overcome a few of the essential concerns in raising storage ability and the life time of sodium-ion batteries.
Jun 19, 2020 // Technology, Storage, Europe, Switzerland, EPFL, Graphene, Ferenc Simon
Scientists make next-generation, high-toughness battery component
A team of Brown University researchers has actually discovered a method to double the durability of a ceramic product used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. The approach, explained in the journal Matter, could be beneficial in bringing solid-state batteries to the mass market.
Jun 19, 2020 // Technology, Storage, USA, North America, Nitin Padture, Christos Athanasiou, Brian Sheldon
Vapor repair lifts up perovskite crystal performance
A straightforward as well as noninvasive treatment could become a prime post-crystallization process to enhance the optoelectronic residential properties of hybrid perovskite solar cell materials.
Jun 19, 2020 // Technology, solar cell, perovskite, KAUST, Ahmad Kirmani, Ahmed Mansour
Designers develop new fuel cells with two times the operating voltage as hydrogen
Electrification of the transport sector - among the largest customers of energy worldwide - is vital to future energy and also environmental durability. Electrification of this market will certainly require high-power fuel cells (either stand alone or combined with batteries) to promote the transition to electric cars, from automobiles and trucks to watercrafts and aircrafts.
Jun 19, 2020 // Technology, Storage, Solar to Fuel, USA, hydrogen, North America, fuel cells, St. Louis, Vijay Ramani, Shrihari Sankarasubramanian
Round monocrystalline solar cells with 18.93% efficiency
The round 3D cells can apparently generate around 101% even more power than traditional level solar cells. Measurements have actually also shown that the spherical cells provide a 10% reduced optimum temperature compared to flat cells, while accumulating less dirt.
Jun 19, 2020 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Saudi Arabia, monocrystalline, solar cells, Asia, efficiency, KAUST
Researchers in China give flexible perovskites a backbone
A group of scientists led by Nanchang University in China trialed a polymer based opening transportation layer to flexible perovskite solar cells, making use of a glue to connect it to the active perovskite. The group had the ability to construct the 19.87%- reliable cells right into a little flexible component appropriate for wearable solar applications, and claims its style was influenced by the structure as well as activities of human vertebrae.
Jun 18, 2020 // Technology, Manufacturing News, China, Asia, solar cell, flexible, perovskites, Nanchang University
New method might just print perovskite LEDs
Microelectronics make use of numerous useful materials whose buildings make them appropriate for certain applications. For instance, transistors and also data storage devices are made from silicon, and also a lot of photovoltaic cells utilized for creating electricity from sunlight are additionally currently made of this semiconductor material.
Jun 17, 2020 // Technology, Germany, solar cells, Europe, perovskite LEDs, Emil List-Kratochvil
PV-electrochemical water-splitting for hydrogen production
A German research study team has developed a brand-new photovoltaic-electrochemical gadget for alkaline water electrolysis. The prototype has a preliminary solar‐to‐hydrogen performance of approximately 7.7%.
Jun 17, 2020 // Technology, Solar to Fuel, Germany, Europe, hydrogen, efficiency, Minoh Lee