Technology

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a demonstration experiment to assess the efficiency of heat pumps in demand-response control on the Aran Islands in Ireland and San Pietro Island in Italy. As part of the European Union’s REACT project, solar, wind, and storage solutions will also be implemented to enhance the energy self-sufficiency of isolated islands.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers have developed a binary organic solar cell (OSC) with a record power conversion efficiency of 19.31%. They invented a non-monotonic intermediate state manipulation strategy to lower the non-radiative recombination loss and boost efficiency.

A Dutch research group has used a series of techniques from the automotive industry to develop a novel methodology to repair glass in double-glass solar panels. Their experimental work represents the step towards transforming glass-damaged solar panels from waste into valuable products.

Avancis has set a new world record for a copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) solar panel with an integrated series connection of 30 cm x 30 cm, achieving an efficiency of 20.3%. The German manufacturer’s accomplishment has been validated by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Germany’s development bank, KfW, is financing a new minigrid project in Senegal with a $138.8 million loan.

Scientists in the United Kingdom have proposed using orbiting solar reflectors to enhance the electricity yield of terrestrial solar power plants. They claim this new technology may be particularly beneficial for improving generation at dusk and dawn, when irradiance is lower.

The Global Electronics Council has delivered standard inspection processes built upon models combining local power grid emissions and subcomponent energy needs to determine the embodied carbon footprint of globally manufactured solar panels.

Hungary, one of Europe’s gigawatt-scale solar markets, is a hub of bustling activity. However, government policy shifts and grid constraints are casting a long shadow over growing demand for solar energy. pv magazine recently spoke with Ádám Szolnoki, the president of the Hungarian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MANAP), about the latest market developments.

Johnson Controls says it will supply four 15 MW heat pumps to the district heating network, in Hamburg, Germany. The new system will be equipped in the city’s central wastewater treatment plant as part of a wastewater heat project.

Deye’s new three-phase hybrid inverters have efficiency ratings of up to 97.60% and European efficiency ratings of 97.0%. They are available in five versions, with power outputs ranging from 29.9 kW to 50 kW.