German initiative to develop scalable sodium-ion batteries
A collaborative project led by German battery supplier Varta aims to develop industrial-scale sodium-ion battery technology. The final product of the three-year, €7.5 million ($8.08 million) project will be a small series of round cells for electric vehicles and stationary storage systems.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan plan energy interconnection
Ministers from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have agreed to connect their energy systems. They will lay an energy cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to facilitate the sale of green energy to Europe.
European Consortium seeks to streamline agrivoltaics design
A European consortium including Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE is researching suitable crop and PV system combinations, conducting tests under Nordic conditions, and developing software to expedite adoption.
VPP preventing blackouts in Puerto Rico
Sunrun, a US-based residential solar installer, says nearly 1,800 customers have already signed up to its PowerOn Puerto Rico virtual power plant (VPP). The program deploys stored solar energy from customers’ batteries to the grid, preventing power supply shortfalls on the island.
Low platinum fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles
New research from Sweden suggests that low platinum fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles, when scaled up for the same number of cells, may achieve similar or higher efficiencies compared to commercial fuel cells. Their modeling is expected to act as a bridge between material science research and vehicle implementation.
Improving perovskite solar cell performance with conductive adhesive ink
Conceived by researchers from Iran, the new conductive adhesive ink is made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and is used as an interlayer between the cell’s hole transport layer and carbon foil. It reportedly ensures higher cell stability while also providing remarkable efficiency.
Zambia set for 60 MW/20 MWh of solar, storage
Turkish developer YEO and Zambian sustainable energy company are constructing a 60 MW solar plant with a 20 MWh battery energy storage system in southern Zambia.
Mauritius seeking consultants for 15 MW solar array
The state-owned Central Electricity Board of Mauritius has launched a tender for consultancy services at a 15 MW solar project. The deadline for applications is May 22.
Photovoltaics for vapor compression refrigeration
Scientists in China have developed a PV-driven direct-drive refrigeration system for electronic device cooling. The proposed system has so far provided low exergy levels, but its costs are much lower than those of conventional vapor compression refrigeration technologies.
Sinovoltaics updates financial stability ranking of PV module manufacturers
The latest Sinovoltaics financial stability report ranking lists Tainergy, Eterbright, First Solar, Era Solar, and TSEC as the top five module makers. There was a slight reshuffling in the top ten, and seven new manufacturers were added to the ranking.
