As more buildings use heat pumps, four technologies can provide grid support
Wider use of electric heat pumps to heat buildings creates a larger market for renewable energy, but also presents challenges, which can be met through building insulation and weatherization, cold climate heat pumps, thermal energy storage systems, and higher-voltage distribution grids, a report says.
Solid-state batteries enter pilot production, costs expected to drastically drop
The latest findings from Taipei-based intelligence provider TrendForce show that all-solid-state battery production volumes could have GWh levels by 2027. The rapid expansion will lead to cell price declines, reaching CNY 0.6-0.7/Wh ($0,084-$0,098) level by 2035.
Tesla releases Powerwall 3 expansion units for more capacity at lower price
Each expansion unit adds another 13.5 kWh of storage capacity to the original installation with a maximum of three such units connected to a single Powerwall. Now available in the US, the new product comes at a lower cost and slashes installation time by roughly half to 22 minutes.
Germany’s Sonnenwagen Aachen team finishes second, third in solar race
Sonnenwagen Aachen, a student team from RWTH Aachen University in Germany, secured second and third place at the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2024, sharing the podium with Belgium’s KU Leuven team, which took first place.
Cooling bifacial PV thermal solar panels with jet impingement
Scientists created a model to study bifacial PV thermal (BPVT) solar panels using jet impingement and built an experimental setup to validate it. They achieved a thermal efficiency of 62.28%, while electrical efficiency peaked at 11.22%.
Researchers analyze wind cooling effect for 5.9 MW rooftop PV array
Researchers have analyzed how wind speed and direction affect the cooling of a rooftop PV plant with 10,806 panels. They say that winds from behind were less effective due to the roof slope and the minimal gap between the panels and the roof, but wind from other directions could contribute to a cooling effect of up to 7 C.
2D modeling to deploy bifacial PV plants with single-axis trackers on sloping terrain
Developed by Spanish scientists, the proposed model is intended to reduce yield losses caused by the fact that north-south aligned single-axis trackers are often deployed on uneven east-west slopes.
Mitigation strategies against islanding in grid-connected PV systems
Researchers in India have proposed a new set of techniques to mitigate total harmonic distortions during islanding events, which occur in distributed generation systems when there are disruptions in the power grid. Compared to conventional approaches, it reportedly achieves faster detection times by leveraging real-time data analytics and dynamically adjusting to changing grid conditions.
European team targets 20%-efficient perovskite modules using industrial processes
The LUMINOSITY project consortium aims to develop 20%-efficient metal halide perovskite prototype modules measuring over 900 cm², designed for a 20-year lifespan and compatibility with roll-to-roll (R2R) processing.
Solinteg launches new residential solar storage systems
Solinteg has developed the IntegOne HSH, a residential solar storage system that combines a single-phase hybrid inverter with one or two batteries. Up to 10 systems can connect in parallel, offering a maximum efficiency of 97.6%.
