Qcells fully acquires intellectual property rights for LECO tech
Qcells has acquired full ownership of intellectual property rights for LECO technology with the recent acquisition of Cell Engineering. The technology is known to enhance the efficiency of PERC and TOPCon solar cells.
France’s CEA developing tech to recover silicon, silver from end-of-life PV panels
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has developed a recycling process for end-of-life PV modules, recovering silicon and silver, using supercritical CO2. Virginie Basini, head of CEA’s sustainable technologies department, discussed the technique with pv magazine France.
Bismuth ferrite, tungsten trioxide thin films for PV cells
Researchers recently identified the optimal laser energy for crafting BFO/WO3 bilayer thin films for solar cells at 200 millijoules (mJ), by carefully considering factors such as leakage and band gap.
New opportunities for 4-hour-plus energy storage
Energy storage with more than four hours of duration could assume a key role in integrating renewable energy into the US power grid on the back of a potential shift to net winter demand peaks, says the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
ENEA, Enel unveil ‘algovoltaic’ system
ENEA and Enel have developed an ‘algovoltaic’ system to cultivate high-value microalgae, ranging from €100 ($106.19)/kg to €600/kg for pharmaceutical uses or cosmetic purposes. This is possible due to the integration of a fully automated cultivation system with a 7 kW solar array.
Japan’s NPC Incorporated expands PV production equipment capacity
Tokyo-based PV equipment manufacturing company NPC Incorporated will foster future capacity expansion due to equipment demand from an undisclosed North American solar manufacturer.
Combination of half-cut, bifacial solar cell designs may contribute to hotspot formation
Scientists in Spain tested PV modules under partial shading conditions, aiming to better understand the formation of performance-damaging hotspots. The study reveals a potential issue particularly affecting half-cell and bifacial modules, which may cause accelerated performance loss and is not covered by current testing/certification standards.
Mibet presents new solar carport with waterproof design
Mibet has developed a new solar carport with a waterproof design, allowing the deployment of framed and unframed solar panels with tilt angles ranging from 5 degrees to 15 degrees, in either portrait or landscape configurations.
Panasonic introduces heat-pump hot water system
Panasonic and Reclaim Energy have partnered to develop a new heat-pump hot water system for the Australian market. They claim that it is up to five times more efficient than gas or traditional electric heating.
Bifacial perovskite solar cells for indoor applications achieve 30.3% efficiency
Scientists in India have fabricated indoor bifacial perovskite solar cells that purportedly achieve remarkable power output per single cell. The devices also reached a bifaciality factor of 0.73.
