Artificial intelligence in photovoltaic production
Five scientific institutions in Germany are currently working together on self-learning production plants that use process data for the permanent optimization of manufacturing. The initiative is aimed at making the settlement of photovoltaic factories in Germany and Europe attractive again.
Work begins on Spain’s largest PV plant for self-consumption
The facility is expected to cover around 25% of the consumption of the Brilen / Novapet industrial complex, located in the Polígono Valle del Cinca de Barbastro, in the eastern Aragon province of Huesca.
Indian PV auction delivers final record low price of $0.0269/kWh
The solar electricity price in India has dipped further to an all-time low of INR 1.99 ($0.0269)/kWh in a recently held 500 MW Gujarat auction, which is 0.5% lower than the previous record of INR 2.00/kWh set a month ago.
New approach to III-V tandems sets 32.9% efficiency record
A collaboration between the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Australia’s University of New South Wales has yielded a new efficiency record of 32.9% for a tandem cell device utilizing III-V materials. Key to the achievement was a new technique enabling the researchers to take advantage of “quantum wells” in the material that serve to trap charges and enable tuning of the cell bandgap to absorb more of the light spectrum.
Merchant PV project announced in Italy
Italy’s Tages Group is planning to build a 4.5 MW solar plant in Sicily and sell the generated electricity to the spot market.
Power-to-X may cover 28% of global energy demand by 2050
The so-called powerfuels are primarily required for sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation and shipping, as well as for the processing of raw materials. This is shown by a new study by Finland’s LUT University and the German Energy Agency.
New tool calculates solar potential of any location in Canada
A newly developed digital platform calculates the expected energy generation in kilowatt-hours for grid-connected PV arrays without storage, under standard testing conditions.
Thermal model to predict PV panel temperature
Scientists in Turkey have tested a transient thermal model to predict PV module temperature during a five-day interval in June. The model considers the heat capacity of a PV module, which is usually not provided by manufacturers in their product sheets, as a parameter for temperature prediction.
Scotland stimulates hydrogen economy with £100m investment
Scotland aims to install 25 GW of electrolyzer capacity by 2050.
Australian research improves scope, efficiency of PV light sensitizers
Australian scientists have developed an algorithm to increase both the efficiency and compatibility of light sensitizers in solar panels.
