Technology and R&D

A German-Algerian research team has been investigating ways to produce silicon from diatomite, a fossil material containing amorphous silicon dioxide. The researchers said that, for potential solar cell applications, it will be crucial to extract silion with a low level of impurities.

Swiss startup Sun-ways is planning to build a 18 kW pilot PV system between the racks of a 100-m linear section of a railway line in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.

Norway’s Volue has launched an automated trading tool for solar and wind operators covering most European power markets . The Volue Position Closer is a subscription-based tool targeted at renewable energy producers, portfolio managers, and municipal utilities.

Jakson Solar’s Helia NXT R series PV modules utilize rectangular 16-busbar n-type TOPCon cells and have an efficiency of up to 23.34%.

The India-based module producer said its new panels have a power conversion efficiency of up to 23.1% and a temperature coefficient of -0.24% per C.

Australian electricity generator CleanCo is piloting Australia’s largest grid-connected sodium sulphur battery at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub project, 45 kilometres southwest of Brisbane.

A report from marketplace operator EnergySage noted that average system costs are declining, and payback periods are improving. It highlighted a recent market share capture from Tesla in the inverter and energy storage market.

The novel heat pump concept should enable ready-to-use energy storage even in already existing installations. It features capabilities that easily detect self-consumption of PV energy, maximizing the amount of energy that can be produced and consumed on-site

Canadian-headquartered underground heavy vehicle manufacturer MacLean, will deliver 30 electric powered graders to Australian resources giant Fortescue’s Western Australian mining operations toward a shared goal of Real Zero emissions by 2040.

Researchers have developed a novel passivation process for formamidinium lead iodide perovskite films, which reportedly resulted in solar cells with 23.69% power conversion efficiency, and modules with 21.44% certified efficiency. After 1000 hours, the hetero-polytypic passivated devices maintained 92% of their initial efficiency, outperforming untreated devices.