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New tech to apply perovskite thin-film layers to conventional solar panels

According to its creator, Swedish start-up Evolar, the new technology can be applied to existing production lines for crystalline silicon modules and increase a product’s efficiency by around 5%.

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More land restrictions for solar in Taiwan

PV developers will no longer be allowed to deploy solar on salt flats in ecologically sensitive areas in Chiayi County and the city of Tainan.

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New panel cleaning tech based on nano-coating and mechanical vibration

Researchers in Egypt have tested a new solar module cleaning technique for solar arrays in arid regions. They claim that the combination of nano-coatings with vibration mechanisms on the backs of modules can reduce manual cleaning requirements.

Cadmium sulfide-free kesterite solar cell with 11.22% efficiency

South Korean scientists have built a kesterite solar cell based on a zinc tin oxide (ZTO) buffer layer. It offers almost the same efficiency as kesterite cells based on toxic cadmium sulfide buffer layers, as the energy of the electrons between the kesterite absorber layer and ZTO buffer layer are aligned.

Solar micro-grid with 1 MW/4 MWh of vanadium redox flow storage in South Africa

Spanish renewable energy company Abengoa will deploy a 3.5 MW solar micro-grid at a vanadium mining site operated by Bushveld Minerals in South Africa. The storage system will be provided by Austria-based storage specialist Enerox Holdings Limited.

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Radiative cooling for CPV systems

Scientists in the United States have tested soda-lime glass radiative coolers in a CPV system and claim these can reduce the device operating temperature by 5 to 36 degrees Celsius. This may result in an increase in the solar cell’s open-circuit voltage of between 8% and 27%.

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New AC module from Enphase, DMEGC

The new module series is available in five versions with power output ranging from 315 to 330 W and efficiencies of 18.67% to 19.56%. It incorporates Enphase IQ 7+ microinverters with a 96.5% European efficiency and 295 volt-amperes (VA).

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Japan’s sixth solar auction concludes with lowest bid of $0.095/kWh

Around 368.8 MW of PV projects were allocated in the sixth round of Japan’s procurement program for large-scale solar. The lowest price offered was ¥10.00/kWh ($0.095) and the highest ¥12.00, for an average price of ¥11.49.

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New approach for convective solar module cooling

A US research team claims to have demonstrated that packing PV modules in close proximity can exponentially increase convective heat transfer of a solar park. The scientists analyzed three different module arrangements and compared them to the common row-organized panel configuration.

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How to minimize grid purchases in storage-integrated PV systems

Scientists in Poland have developed a machine-learning method to help solar+storage system owners manage battery charging and discharging, so they can avoid buying power from the grid.

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