Technology and R&D

A Spanish-Italian research group was able to improve the efficiency and stability of a standard perovskite solar cell by adding nitrogen-doped carbon dots as an additive. The carbon dots were then blended with the perovskite precursor solution at two different concentration levels and both were deposited by spin coating on the perovskite layer.

UK-based Synchrostor has developed a new pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) system. It is purportedly fully reversible in 30 milliseconds and can achieve a round-trip efficiency of around 70%. The proposed storage technology can also provide grid inertia and ancillary services.

Reclaim PV Recycling and the Circular PV Alliance (CPVA) have have agreed to jointly develop standards and testing procedures to support the reuse and resale of solar panels in Australia. Reclaim PV recently discovered that more than 31% of the solar panels collected in the Australian state of Queensland could be considered for reuse, rather than recycling.

Conditions that are 10% shaded can render a typical solar panel useless, but Optivolt said its technology can deliver up to 25 times more power in the shade than conventional panels.

Scientists in the United Arab Emirates have looked at how off-grid rooftop PV could be combined with batteries, fuel cells or reversible solid oxide cells for energy storage. The modeling assumed a typical commercial building in Los Angeles.

South Korean scientists have built a vertical three-dimensional fiber-optic solar-cell system with greater maximum efficiency than planar solar modules, as well as a lower surface requirement.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales have made a major breakthrough in what was previously conceived of only in theoretical terms – namely, “nighttime” solar power.

Ambient Photonics will build a fully automated manufacturing facility to produce solar cells for powering consumer electronics.

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has shared its findings on the use of perovskite materials to produce renewable hydrogen, while a number of entities have announced new projects in Europe, North America, and China.

US scientists have developed a way to remove snow and ice from solar panels at a much faster rate than conventional approaches. It is based on a glass coating on a film with high optical transparency and superhydrophobicity.