Research & Development
Solar R&D is focused on improving efficiency, reducing production costs, and extending system longevity. Key areas include tandem and perovskite cell development, advanced materials for encapsulation and contacts, and new concepts in system integration.
Simulation tools, AI-driven design, and accelerated testing methods are expanding research capabilities. Sustainability and circularity targets are increasingly embedded in innovation strategies.
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New research highlights the value of solar and energy efficiency in the home buying process
Research on the effects of clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades in the home buying process reveals a premium for homes with solar panels and heat pumps, but a disconnect between what consumers say they want and information available in listings and from agents.
PV module recycling tech based on heavy liquid separation, metal chloride etching
Researchers in China have developed a three-step recycling process for end-of-life crystalline silicon PV modules that recovers high-purity silicon, copper, silver compounds, and other valuable materials while enabling reagent reuse. Life cycle and techno-economic analyses showed the process can cut carbon emissions by 80.42% compared with conventional methods and generate positive returns from solar-cell and solder-strip treatment stages.
Korean scientists build shingled solar module for thermoelectric generators
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Energy Research developed a shingled photovoltaic module designed for efficient integration with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to harvest waste heat via the Seebeck effect. The series-connected strip architecture enables high-voltage, low-current operation that reduces TEG resistance losses, achieving scalable, load-resilient PV–TEG systems with improved efficiency and reliability.
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All Research & Development news
New research highlights the value of solar and energy efficiency in the home buying process
Research on the effects of clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades in the home buying process reveals a premium for homes with solar panels and heat pumps, but a disconnect between what consumers say they want and information available in listings and from agents.
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PV module recycling tech based on heavy liquid separation, metal chloride etching
Researchers in China have developed a three-step recycling process for end-of-life crystalline silicon PV modules that recovers high-purity silicon, copper, silver compounds, and other valuable materials while enabling reagent reuse. Life cycle and techno-economic analyses showed the process can cut carbon emissions by 80.42% compared with conventional methods and generate positive returns from solar-cell and solder-strip treatment stages.
Korean scientists build shingled solar module for thermoelectric generators
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Energy Research developed a shingled photovoltaic module designed for efficient integration with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to harvest waste heat via the Seebeck effect.
The series-connected strip architecture enables high-voltage, low-current operation that reduces TEG resistance losses, achieving scalable, load-resilient PV–TEG systems with improved efficiency and reliability.
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Perovskite tandem PV for agrivoltaics
Researchers evaluated “farm-to-fork” life-cycle impacts of agrivoltaic lettuce systems using perovskite–silicon and perovskite–perovskite tandem PV, comparing them with conventional silicon PV across major US growing regions. The study finds that integrating advanced tandem solar with farming can reduce irrigation demand and significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions—potentially offsetting up to 30.9 million tons of CO₂ and saving around 8.4 billion m³ of water annually under favorable conditions.
Satellite breakthrough enables accurate panel-scale temperature mapping for solar farms
A Chinese research team has developed a scene-aware panel surface temperature (PST) retrieval model for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants using MODIS thermal infrared satellite data. The method corrects for mixed-pixel effects, array geometry, and PV-specific directional emissivity to enable accurate panel-scale temperature estimation from space.
Scientists build PEDOT:PSS-free all-perovskite tandem solar cell with 29.1% efficiency
PEDOT:PSS is commonly used as a hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells because it combines high transparency, good conductivity, and suitable energy-level alignment, but its moisture sensitivity and acidity can damage perovskite layers and limit long-term stability. In contrast, replacing it with a phenothiazine-based self-assembled monolayer allows better interfacial control during crystallization, lowers defect densities, and enables highly efficient all-perovskite tandem devices with a reported efficiency of 29.1%.
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