Researchers in the U.S. have confirmed the existence of a novel state of the element manganese, first proposed in a journal dating from 1928, which could allow for the development of low-cost, high performance batteries for grid level and other energy storage applications.

A team of scientists based at New York University (NYU)’s Tandon School of Engineering has developed a method of improving the performance of non-fullerene organic solar cells, by introducing a crystallizing agent.

Japanese engineering company, JGC has been awarded a contract for the construction of a 49 MW (AC) power plant in Southern Vietnam. The contract has been signed with Gia Lai Electricity Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of the TTC Group.

Scatec Solar, alongside Norfund Investments and Electricidade de Mozambique have closed financing and begun construction on the first utility-scale solar plant in Mozambique, a 40 MW project to be located close to the city of Mocuba.

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCO) has announced the start of construction on a new hybrid storage facility set to provide spinning reserve power to the country’s grid. The project, according to JPSCO, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will be completed by April 2019.

U.K.-based developer, Hive Energy announced that its first project in Turkey – the 10 MW Adiyaman solar park – has begun feeding power into the country’s grid.

Scientists led by the University of Braunschweig have developed a new type of solar concentrator, which can concentrate light from any direction onto a small area, such as a solar panel. The researchers say that funnels can be tuned to different light wavelengths and stacked, allowing for conversion of the entire light spectrum into electricity.

German equipment supplier, Schmid Group has announced the successful delivery and installation of three of its Everflow energy storage systems to a leading PV cell manufacturer in China. These are the first storage systems delivered to China by Schmid, and will be used in combination with large-scale PV projects.

A team led by Chonnam National University in South Korea has developed a new perovskite solar cell composition, which it says could lead the way to the production of “highly efficient and air stable perovskite solar cells”.

Japanese electronics giant Sharp has signed an agreement for the construction of a 48 MW (DC) PV plant, to be located in Thua Thien Hue province in Northern Vietnam.