Clean water and electricity from one system
Scientists at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have demonstrated a system based on commercially available solar panels which can generate electricity and produce clean, drinkable water from seawater or otherwise contaminated sources.
Grid data transparency vital to making the case for renewables in Vietnam
With a glut of solar capacity having come online this year, cheaper financing would help keep some of that momentum but policymakers cannot be persuaded of the economic benefits of clean energy unless state-owned utility EVN opens up.
Grid service payments the key to unlocking China’s energy storage potential
The world’s biggest solar market could be about to replicate that feat in energy storage, provided it manages to reform the payment system for rewarding the grid services offered by batteries.
Miasolé sets new flexible CIGS efficiency record
U.S. based Hanergy subsidiary Miasolé has achieved a record 17.44% conversion efficiency for a large area flexible CIGS module. The record has been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
When the battery is a building… or vice versa
AES has announced the start of construction of its Alamito Energy Center, a 100 MW/400 MWh battery for electric utility SoCalEdison which is being constructed as a full-on building – much like a data center.
‘Turbocharging’ silicon PV: MIT scientists scratch the surface of singlet exciton fission
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a device they say could “turbocharge” a single-junction silicon PV cell, pushing the technology beyond its theoretical limit to efficiencies of 35% and higher.
There may be a sunny outlook for Greece
The nation elected a new government yesterday, awarding a clear majority to the pro-EU New Democracy party. What could that mean for Greece’s solar sector?
Sorbitol admixture to passivation layer increases HJT conversion efficiency
The race to the theoretical maximum conversion efficiency continues and with new lab results in, it appears a big leap forward may have been achieved at Leibniz University Hannover.
Vietnam overtakes Australia for commissioned utility scale solar following June FIT rush
Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy has placed the Australian and Vietnamese solar markets side by side and found the Southeast Asian country left its rival trailing in terms of commissioned utility scale PV capacity. A staggering 4.46 GW of connected PV capacity in Vietnam at the end of June came as a surprise to many.
EY blog warns grid operators ‘the clock is ticking’
The energy transition is accelerating, Ernst & Young global energy leader Benoit Laclau has warned grid operators, thanks to the confluence of digitization, decentralization and decarbonization. Traditional utilities must get with the program or be swept aside.
