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Technology

Combining PV-driven heat pumps with district heating in multi-apartment buildings

An international research group has investigated how PV-powered heat pumps and district heating could be combined to heat a multi-apartment building in Sweden and have found that, of the three combinations they evaluated, relying on heat pumps as the primary heat source was the “most beneficial solution” in terms of operating costs and environmental impact.

Improving perovskite solar cell efficiency, sustainability with micro-concentrators

Researchers in Italy are tackling two metal halide perovskite solar PV challenges, reduce the use of lead and extend stability of the power conversion efficiency, in a novel combination of micro-concentrators and picosecond laser processing.

GameChange Solar introduces terrain-following tracker designed to reduce land grading

The Genius Tracker TF supports slops of up to 1.7 degrees between posts, thereby reducing land grading costs.

Risen Energy hits 740 W average for mass-produced HJT solar module

Risen Energy says it has achieved an average power output of 740 W for its mass-produced heterojunction (HJT) solar module, with certified cell efficiency of 26.61% and module efficiency of 24.81%, according to China’s Fujian Metrology Institute. Encapsulation losses were limited to 1.8%.

German castle now hosting brick-red PV system

A castle in Bavaria, Germany, has installed a brick-red PV system using colored solar modules from Italy-based FuturaSun. The project was enabled by a recent amendment to Bavaria’s Monument Protection Act, allowing solar on heritage buildings.

Perovskite solar cell testing in underwater environments shows surprising efficiency results

Researchers in Italy have tested how perovskite solar cells could perform underwater and have found that, at very shallow depths, they may even achieve a higher power conversion efficiencies compared to reference devices operating under out-of-water conditions.

SolarStations.org: Mapping the future of solar resource assessment

IEA PVPS Task 16 recently introduced SolarStations.org, a global catalogue of solar irradiance monitoring stations designed for researchers, developers, and policymakers. This openly available resource catalogues more than 800 multi-component stations –of which more than 400 are currently active – offering a comprehensive view of high-quality ground-based solar data.

New method for PV site suitability mapping

Scientists in Malaysia have developed a novel deep-learning method for PV suitability mapping. Applying the new approach to the Middle East, they found that approximately 5.8% of the region has very high suitability and 11.5% is highly suitable for PV energy development.

Mitsubishi testing aquifer thermal energy storage for renewables

The Japanese conglomerate and the Osaka Metropolitan University are testing an aquifer thermal energy storage system that directly uses 10,000 m3 of groundwater stored at 5 C in a cooling well. It is intended to store renewable energy and produce cooling for air conditioning in the summer or heating for the winter.

Swiss researchers seek to simplify TOPCon cell production with single-step annealing process

A Swiss research team has developed a novel single-step annealing process for tunnel oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) solar cells. Demonstrating the approach, the scientists built a proof-of-concept TOPCon device with a 21% efficiency.

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