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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Mass-scale reuse pilot project finds 15% of second-life solar modules fail to meet safety requirements
Researchers in Australia identified two scalable routes for electrical safety qualification of second-life PV modules: silicone backsheet repair and faster parallel wet-leakage testing. A Queensland pilot found that 15% of 2,200 reuse-ready modules failed the wet-leakage test, highlighting the need for dedicated safety screening while modified testing could reduce costs and processing time.
Scandium doping, coating improve cycling stability of sodium-ion battery cathodes
Researchers have compared bulk scandium doping and surface scandium coating in a special type of cathodes for sodium-ion batteries. Both approaches improved cycling stability, with the coated full cell retaining 91.2% of its initial capacity after 300 cycles, while structural analyses revealed distinct bulk- and surface-stabilization mechanisms.
Perovskite solar tested at over 5,000 m altitude
Monochrome will test a perovskite PV prototype at an altitude of around 5,150 meters during an alpine expedition in Pakistan’s Karakoram region. The field trial will assess power-generation performance and durability under harsh, off-grid conditions as the company explores perovskite technology for future BIPV applications.
Aluminum fins vs. oxide nanofluid for PV module cooling
Indian scientists compared aluminum fins with CuO-water nanofluid cooling for PV modules, finding the nanofluid reduced average panel temperature and increased gross power output. However, after accounting for pump power consumption, passive aluminum fins delivered comparable electrical efficiency without requiring auxiliary energy.
Scientists demonstrate outdoor operability of reflector-assisted spherical photovoltaic modules
Researchers in Qatar developed a 450-cell, 0.70 m-diameter spherical PV prototype with a hemispherical aluminium reflector that substantially improves energy capture. The system, however, demonstrates mainly directional/seasonal benefits rather than superior annual yield or economic competitiveness compared to a flat counterpart.
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All Research & Development news
Research: PV microinverters and power optimizer revenues predicted to hit around USD$1.5 billion over next 5 years
Solar microinverters and DC-DC power optimizers are forecast to generate more than USD$1.5 billion in revenues over the next five years, according to IMS Research. It says that shipments of the devices are forecast to grow over 100 percent per year and will total more than 16 million in the same period.
World's first carbon footprint verification for a PV module announced
AU Optronics Corp. says it has completed the carbon footprint verification on a multi-crystalline PV module, according to the international carbon footprint standard PAS2050*. EcoDuo PM220P00 is the world’s first PV module to have obtained carbon footprint verification, states the company, thus helping to reach a critical milestone on carbon footprint management of PV key components.
Researchers announce new 20.3 percent world record CIGS solar cell efficiency
Scientists at the Zentrum fur Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) say they have achieved a new world record for copper, indium, gallium and diselenide (CIGS) solar cell efficiencies. At 20.3 percent, the Stuttgart researchers state that the new results should “significantly” improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin film photovoltaics (PV) over the medium term.
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US annual PV installations to reach 1.9 GW by 2014, says new study
The U.S. is expected to install around 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaics (PV) annually by 2014, according to new research, which states that the countrys market is growing at fast pace, thanks to government support and decreasing installation costs.
Samsung to invest USD$15 million in development of nano-architected materials for thin film solar
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is to contribute USD$15 million to Silicon Valley-based Nanosys, Inc. in the U.S. in order to accelerate the development of commercial applications of nano-architected materials for the electronics and thin film solar.?? ?
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SMA to deliver 100 inverters to medical clinics in Ethiopia
Under the development project Access to Modern Energy Services Ethiopia, realized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, SMA Solar Technology AG has said it will deliver 100 battery power inverters to supply medical clinics with solar-generated alternating current (AC) in the country: 50 have already been delivered.
UNSW: Work begins on new AUD$125 million Tyree Energy Technologies building
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has announced that construction has started on its new AUD$125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) following planning approval from the New South Wales government. The new facility scheduled to be completed by 2012 will house all the energy-related research and teaching groups within the university, including photovoltaics.
US National Guard unit to bring solar to rural Afghanistan
In a bid to bring renewable energy, like solar power, to Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Brian Stevens of the Texas Army National Guard is working with the Energy Executives Leadership Program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which sees 20 energy executives gather together once a month for energy education sessions.
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