Technology

South Korea’s new provisions establish a standardized collection system for each of the country’s major regions, in order to ensure a waste panel recycling/reuse rate of more than 80%.

Bonna Newman, program manager at TNO, speaks to pv magazine about the road forward for vehicle-integrated PV, which will likely remain a niche over the short term, despite recent industrial developments. Several companies have started production, but high-volume output and the potential of other PV technologies beyond crystalline silicon remain key challenges for the future of vehicle-integrated solar.

German scientists have developed a solar cell with multiple quantum wells to enable higher levels of photocurrent. The 3.4%-efficient device could be used for glass facades in buildings and windows, sunroofs in vehicles, and greenhouses for agrivoltaics.

Hopefuls from 40 different countries submitted entries to the pv magazine Awards in 2022, with more regions represented than ever before. This reflects the industry’s increasing global relevance and the importance all regions are placing on local innovation and production. Here we present the seven winners, who will be honored once again in a live Award ceremony on Jan. 17th, staged alongside the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi and as part of the 11th MESIA Solar Awards Ceremony.

Gravitricity, an Edinburgh-based storage specialist, aims to develop the first full-scale demonstration of its underground hydrogen storage solution by working with structural engineering contractor VSL Systems UK.

Nostromo Energy has developed a modular cold energy storage system that operates as a virtual power plant. The company will receive a loan, supported by the US Department of Energy (DoE), for the installation of a 120-building energy storage portfolio in California and other US states.

Solax Power’s new string inverters have an efficiency rating of 98% and a European efficiency of 97%. They feature two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) channels, with nominal power ranging from 2.5 kW to 6 kW.

Norway’s Inseanergy has developed floating solar tech for aquaculture projects. It recently commissioned its first commercial array – a 290 kW floater for salmon-farming specialist Bjoroya – in addition to a 160 kW installation for a cod fish farm.

China’s Huasun launched a new line of five heterojunction (HJT) solar modules in 2022, with power outputs ranging from 680 W to 700 W. The company has now added a new 715 W module to the series, with an efficiency rating of 23.02%.

Scientists in Morocco recently conducted a year-long study on the impacts of soiling on PV modules in arid, dusty conditions. They found that soiling could contribute to daily performance losses of as much as 15%.