Emiliano Bellini
Noise-based technique to test crystalline silicon solar cells
The proposed technique is said to be able to connect directly to the microscopic and medium scale defects in the solar cell materials. It is based on three kinds of noises that science has thus far been able to identify in PV devices.
Fraunhofer ISE develops front/back solar cell with 26.0% efficiency
The cell showed open-circuit voltage values of up to 732 mV. It was fabricated with a back junction (BJ) design with a full-area p-n-junction at the back surface.
Larsen & Toubro begins building 300 MW solar plant in Saudi Arabia
India’s Larsen & Toubro has announced plans to provide EPC services to support the deployment of 300 MW of solar in Saudi Arabia, under a contract with a consortium involving Masdar, EDF Renewables, and Saudi Arabia’s Nesma.
Sasol, Air Liquide seek to procure 900 MW of renewables in South Africa
The two companies are seeking proposals to provide power to Sasol’s synthetic fuel plant in Secunda, Mpumalanga.
Solar may cover 75% of global electricity demand by 2050
A new study from the Lappeenranta University of Technology predicts solar may even achieve a 69% share for total primary energy supply by the end of the first half of the century. In terms of price, solar PV is expected to achieve a capex of €246/kW-installed for utility scale projects, and of €537/kW for residential arrays by 2050. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE), however, is expected to remain constant over the next three decades, as the energy transition will also be implemented with storage technologies, increased flexibility and the production of synthetic fuels.
Using PET waste bottles to make batteries
Scientists in the U.S. claim to have successfully upcycled PET waste bottles into an electrochemical active-carbon material that functions as a double‐layer supercapacitor substance. They said that this achievement may lay the ground for the production of more sustainable batteries. Devices built with the proposed technique would not store as much energy as lithium-ion batteries but they could charge much faster.
Canadian Solar begins production of 640-665 W panel series
The panel was unveiled in October and is the most powerful product the company has brought to the market to date. The Chinese-Canadian manufacturer expects to reach, for this product, a 10 GW capacity by the end of the year.
Beyondsun reveals 535-545 W solar modules series
The Chinese manufacturer said its new panel series features a power conversion efficiency ranging from 20.93% to 21.32%. The panel is claimed to be suitable for both distributed generation and utility scale projects.
Malian gold mine powered by 30 MW/15.4 MWh of solar-plus-storage
The solar-plus-storage facility will reduce heavy fuel oil consumption by 13.1 million liters per year.
Perovskite solar cell with larger grain size and 23.17% efficiency
The result was achieved for a small area device with the size of 0.1 sq cm. The cell was fabricated with a Tin(IV) oxide electron transport layer modified with crystalline polymeric carbon nitrides (cPCN).
