Technology

PowerFlex CEO Raphael Declercq speaks to pv magazine about growing demand for solar-optimized smart charging. He says the company, which is owned by EDF Renewables, can control batteries and loads in microgrids with its newly expanded EV-charging management software.

Netherlands-based BirdBlocker has developed a plastic strip that can be placed under solar panels installed on pitched rooftops. The long needles prevent birds from nesting under the modules. The structure is attached to the frame of the modules with stainless steel clips.

Scientists in Germany have raised the efficiency of an inverted perovskite solar cell from 15.9% to 20.1% by using a mixed solvent vapor annealing method based on ethylenediamine (EDA).

Zigor has developed a modular central inverter that can convert AC power to DC power for battery charging. It has an output of 3.3 MVA and a DC voltage of up to 1,500 V.

Pumped hydro energy storage can be readily scaled to any required storage capacity at a known and affordable cost.

Aries Grid is a lithium iron phosphate battery designed for long-duration energy storage systems.

DSD Renewables and Black Bear Energy have installed 3,500 solar panels on vehicle canopies at a campground in southern California. Yale University researchers say that carports could meet about one-third of the US state’s total electricity demand.

Solargiga is offering three versions of its new bifacial panels, with power outputs of 415 W to 425 W and efficiency ratings ranging from 21.25% to 21.76%. They feature 108 half-cut monocrystalline cells with n-type technology.

Nanoveu, an Australian nanotechnology company, has developed a multifunctional anti-soiling coating for solar glass that is designed to prevent surface debris and algae growth from forming on PV panels.

Dutch importers that sell solar panels to clients in the Netherlands will have to pay a recycling charge of €40 ($42.50) per ton from July 1. They currently pay just €6.50 per ton.