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Technology

New tech to produce ultra-thin wafers with minimal silicon waste

South Korean researchers have developed a process to produce ultra-thin wafers without sacrificing any of the substrates. Their technique is based on a new approach involving the use of plasma-assisted epitaxial growth, in order to increase internal defects and porosity, rather than reduce them.

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How to convert coal mine goaves into pumped hydro storage facilities

According to Chinese researchers, using abandoned coal mine goaves for pumped hydro facilities in combination with large scale solar and wind is not only technically feasible but can also provide an efficiency of 82.8% in yearly operation cases. They applied the model to wind and solar-rich northwestern and southwestern China.

Mesoporous carbon for a 20-year stable perovskite solar cell

Scientists in Japan and Europe investigated the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells utilizing layers of mesoporous carbon, building on previous work demonstrating the strong potential of this approach. This latest work demonstrates a light-soaking effect, which allowed them to fabricate cells that retained 92% of their initial performance after 3,000 hours in damp heat conditions – which the researchers say is equivalent to 20 years in the field.

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Hydrophobic anti-soiling coating for solar modules

A U.K. research group is developing an anti-soiling solution produced via a chemical process compatible with glass manufacturing. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is providing $1.6 million of funding for the project.

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Redox flow battery with capacity retention of 99.98% per cycle

The battery was fabricated by Chinese scientists with a low-cost electrolyte made of a derivative of TEMPO, which is a well-known electroactive aminoxyl radical used with several applications in chemistry and biochemistry. According to the researchers, the battery shows high redox potential and is crossover-free.

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Distribution networks to shrink as safety, reliability of standalone solar improves

Western Australia leads the world in successfully implementing renewables-based generation for far-flung customers. Boundary Power has been widely recognized for its innovations and is ready to repeat its successes with standalone power systems across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

Lazard’s LCOE report raises concerns about future price stability

A new Lazard report has highlighted worries about price stability and product availability, as demand for battery products continues to increase.

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The Hydrogen Stream: Australia takes the spotlight with 1.7 GW project in Tasmania and new tech to produce hydrogen from rooftop PV

Elsewhere, Portugal’s EDP has unveiled plans to deploy 1.5 GW of green hydrogen capacity and, in Spain, several projects have been announced by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), Iberdrola, Solaria Energía and Enagás.

System design for greenhouses relying on PV and ground source heat pump

Proposed by Turkish scientists, the system design consists of combining rooftop PV with a ground source heat pump in a greenhouse used for tomato, cucumber and lettuce cultivation. The solar array operates under net metering and grid electricity is used when PV generation is unable to cover demand. According to their findings, the system payback time ranges from 2.6 to 7 years.

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Reuse or replace? IEA PVPS analysis considers all options for underperfoming PV modules

In a new report, experts from the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power System Programme (IEA-PVPS) have assessed the economical and environmental benefits of repairing and reusing or replacing solar modules that are not complying with a 30-year expected lifetime. They found that reusing offers the best environmental impact in all cases, while the profitability of this option is currently guaranteed only by rooftop PV under certain conditions. As for large-scale solar, module replacement remains the most competitive option.

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