Sustainability

Silicon-perovskite tandem solar requires optimization of both approaches, and embodies the weaknesses of each. Meanwhile, the use of pure thin-film devices offers a cheaper, simpler, and more sustainable PV solution for the United States.

An international research team has developed a novel way to remanufacture fully encapsulated perovskite solar cells after recycling. The researchers say the devices can achieve 88% of the original efficiency of the products.

Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has reaffirmed its commitment to hydrogen car development, PT PLN has started producing green hydrogen in Indonesia, and OMV Petrom has agreed to build 55 MW of green hydrogen production capacity in Romania.

Native American lands boast serious PV potential in the United States but getting projects off the ground hasn‘t always been easy. Different tribes are willing to take power generation into their own hands and the landscape could be shifting, thanks to funding from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other programs.

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.

Wood Mackenzie has urged policymakers and companies to focus on the full life-cycle emissions of hydrogen, while a European Commission has revealed that a European business mission will visit Mauritania in March to explore hydrogen investment opportunities.

Scientists have proposed to use PV energy and heat pump-driven HVAC system in greenhouses conceived to grow tomatoes in the Mediterranean area. The system was found to have a payback time of only 2.9 years in southern Spain.

Tripling clean energy generation capacity to 11 TW by 2030 was a leading pledge from the United Nations’ (UN) climate change conference in Dubai. With few details about infrastructure and energy storage and no clear PV targets, however, it is hard to judge the effectiveness of the 28th global Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting. Angela Skujins considers possible impacts for the solar industry.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a new organic cathode material with an energy density higher than most cobalt-based cathodes. It can charge–discharge in as little as six minutes. Automaker Lamborghini has licensed the patent for the technology.

Researchers assessed the effect of solar energy projects on poverty in China and determined that PV systems can play a role in reducing multiple dimensions of poverty while also contributing to environmental protection.