Technology

A group of researchers from Utrecht University analyzed offshore floating photovoltaic (OFPV) systems to determine reasons for enhanced performance compared with land-based systems. Out of their research, the team developed two regression models to help predict yield advantages when siting projects.

Germany-based Solar Kapital has used membranes at three of its PV plants in Greece. It claims that the payback time of the new solution is relatively short.

GCL-SI has launched a new 320 W perovskite solar module. The company guarantees that the 10-year end power output will be at least 90% of the nominal output power, which decreases to 80% after 25 years.

Scientists led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have designed panel-like photoreactors relying on a water-splitting photocatalyst that could produce hydrogen on rooftops or dedicated solar farms. They claim the photoreactors have high economic potential because of their ‘extremely’ low costs.

A Bangla-Japanese research group has built a copper silver bismuth iodide (CABI) PV device using an unexplored CABI compound. The scientists applied a mixed solvent-based hot-casting technique to improve the surface morphology of the CABI film and increase the cell efficiency.

A British research group has investigated the economic feasibility of solar-powered heat pumps in China and has found that the country’s northern regions offer the lowest payback time of less than three years. As for the country’s southern regions, however, the adoption of PV-linked heat pumps was found to be “uneconomical.”

SolarPower Europe’s new guidelines for agrivoltaics are designed to support project developers, scientific institutions, and policymakers in developing agrivoltaic schemes. The PV trade body presents business cases from different European countries and shares best practices for O&M and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).

A new study details how floating photovoltaics impact wind flow and irradiance on lakes, with the effect of influencing water temperature at different depths. However, the report’s authors say more research is needed on how to design systems for maximum benefit to the water bodies themselves.

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has performed a safety audit on more than 600 rooftop PV systems and has found that 97% of installations have major safety concerns. It says that 49% of sites have grounding issues, 47% have damaged modules, and 41% have cross-mated connectors.

Researchers in Japan have developed a repair technique for solar modules with damaged busbars and solder ribbons. They claim the new method can be implemented on site, without removing the panels from the array.