BlackRock increases stake in SolarEdge to 15.8%
US investment firm BlackRock says it has increased its ownership interest in Israel’s SolarEdge.
Global solar irradiance ‘relatively stable’ in 2023, says Solargis
With global irradiance above average in Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe, and stable in the United States, solar data provider Solargis says stakeholders should focus on the stability of power grids, while navigating solar financing complexities in developing economies and supply chain capacities in 2024.
Rain does not sufficiently remove pollen from solar panels, say researchers
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and its research partners say that various types of tree pollen can reduce solar panel efficiency by more than 15%. Unlike the immediate improvements assumed to follow heavy rain, recovery of performance post-pollen season is gradual. Post-rain manual cleaning can boost performance by 5% to 11%.
The effect of PV plants on albedo, vegetation, land temperature
Scientists have used remote sensing to analyze the effect solar farms have across 116 sites worldwide. They found that the cooling effect is higher during the daytime, with albedo decreasing by 0.016 for most facilities.
Smart Railway Technology presents inverters for PV-powered train traction
Smart Railway Technology’s new PV2Rail inverters are designed to feed directly into 16.7 Hertz (Hz) railway power grids.
Whale algorithm to integrate rooftop solar with air source heat pumps
Researchers in China have developed an optimized version of the whale optimization algorithm that reportedly indentifies the optimal area ratio of rooftop PV systems and solar collectors used in combination with air source heat pumps. They demonstrated that the installation area of photovoltaic modules and collectors affects both the power side and the thermal side.
Israeli startup launches 530 W bifacial PVT panel
P.G. Solar Greener says that its new panels have a thermal capacity of 1,280 Wh. They can reportedly achieve an overall dual electrical efficiency of 26%, due to an embedded cooling technique.
The Hydrogen Stream: Consortium unveils 85%-efficient solid oxide electrolyzer
Elcogen and Convion have revealed test results for their new solid oxide electrolyzer, with an electrical efficiency above 85%. It could potentially facilitate the production of 39 kWh of electrical energy per kilogram of green hydrogen.
Australian researchers reveal ‘scalable’ aqueous rechargeable zinc batteries
Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) claim to have developed a technology that overcomes the recharging capabilities associated with aqueous zinc battery technology, potentially redefining energy storage for homes and grids.
Mitsubishi debuts residential air-to-water heat pumps
Mitsubishi’s monobloc Hydrolution EZY can reportedly produce domestic hot water up to 60 C when outdoor temperatures reach -25 C. It is available in two versions, with outputs of 10 kW and 14 kW.
