Adapting agrivoltaics to different climates, crops
An international consortium led by Italy’s Eurac Research launched the Symbiosyst project to adapt PV modules, mounting structures, and maintenance technologies to the needs of various crops in agrivoltaic installations in different climates.
Sustainable Capital offers €100m of financing for EU hydrogen companies
The European Union and its funding mechanisms for hydrogen are attracting the interest of private funds and investors. Sustainable Capital says it wants to co-invest in preselected companies, mainly in the mobility sector, focusing on Estonia, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Assessing vibrations in solar modules due to robot cleaning
Qatari researchers have looked at the degree to which cleaning robots could threaten the physical integrity of solar panels. They found that cleaning machines have a very minimal impact and that modules of similar sizes tend to exhibit roughly the same amount of vibration.
Spray passivation to reduce losses in TOPCon, HJT cell-to-module process
Chinese researchers have developed a new passivation technique for shingled solar panels based on tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon) or heterojunction (HJT) tech. It reduces recombination losses in the cell-to-module process and reportedly increases open-circuit voltage, fill factor, and efficiency.
New method to measure energy yield of bifacial PV systems
Canadian scientists have developed a new way to measure the energy yield of bifacial PV systems. They said they considered the spectral albedo of ground cover like snow and sand to predict energy gains of up to 2%, in comparison with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard.
Weekend Read: Giga and giga
pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff reports on the benefits of planning vast solar project pipelines, and the barriers faced by those who dare to dream big.
Water jet tech to recover glass from end-of-life solar panels
Japan’s Shintora Kosan has developed a novel water jet technology to recover glass from end-of-life PV modules. It says it can pulverize the solar cells and the backsheets without damaging the glass.
New model to predict safety of floating solar arrays
South Korean scientists have developed a way to determine when a floating PV system is safe to install in the field.
Bisol unveils 21.5%-efficient M10 full-black solar panels for residential use
Bisol’s new products feature a temperature coefficient of -0.34% per degree Celsius and a power rating of 400 W to 420 W. The Slovenian PV module manufacturer said it used M10 wafers for the first time.
Flexible cadmium telluride solar cell with 12.6% efficiency via lift-off method
A US research team has developed a cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cell through a lift-off method that reportedly ensures higher crystallinity of the cadmium sulfide film. The device has a power conversion efficiency of 12.60%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.829 V, a short-circuit current density of 23.64 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 64.30%.
