Indoor PV powered wireless touch-switch to control home, office equipment
U.K.-based indoor PV specialist Lightricity and Japanese capacitator manufacturer Nichicon have developed a PV-powered Bluetooth switch to remotely control home or office equipment, such as lighting, sliding doors, or appliances.
PVRadar offers solar project risk assessments factoring in historical climate data
PVRadar Labs has expanded its software platform to include PV project risk assessment functionality, reportedly enabling more realistic performance estimates based on historical climate data.
PVFarm launches online tool for early stage PV project planning
U.S.-based PVFarm has released a web-based application for large-scale solar PV project planning at the early stage. It includes real-time energy models and building information model (BIM) features, reportedly supporting PV plant electrical, mechanical, civil, energy, and procurement aspects.
Strategies to address thermomechanical instability of perovskite solar modules
A U.S. research team has investigated the thermomechanical reliability of metal halide perovskite (MHP) modules and cells in an effort to identify the best strategies to improve their stability under thermomechanical stressors. The scientists discussed, in particular, film stresses, adhesion of charge transport layers, and instability under light and heat.
Chinese scientists apply new models for sustainable wind, solar investments in Belt and Road Initiative countries
To assess renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, considering the limited supply of input materials, researchers from Shenzhen University established novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models that include a circular economy principles, waste potential and life cycle assessment (LCA).
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Cumulative PV capacity tops 670 GW
China’s cumulative PV capacity has surpassed 670 GW. The nation deployed approximately 60.5 GW of new solar in the first four months of 2024, including 14.37 GW in April alone.
Toray Engineering offers coating equipment for perovskite PV module manufacturing
The Japanese industrial technology supplier is shipping coating tools for perovskite solar panels with dimensions up to 1,000 mm × 2,000 mm. The company will also offer soon a support for 2,400 mm ×1,200 mm sizes.
A closer look at CEA-INES’ timber-framed silicon heterojunction solar module with 22.57% efficiency
The French research institute presented in a scientific paper the technical details of its recyclable heterojunction module with a power output of 566 W and a carbon footprint of just 313 kgCO2eq/kW.
Crash test for lightweight 4-seater solar cars
Researchers at the University of Bologna carried out crash simulations to qualify a novel solar powered 350 kg passenger vehicle for the next edition of the 3,000 km Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) across the Australian continent.
NREL-led consortium releases PV reliability forecasting tools
The Durable Module Materials consortium (DuraMAT) announced in its latest annual report the availability of new PV forecasting tools, and new research results towards the goal of more reliable PV modules.
