Technology and R&D

Qatari researchers found that bifacial 2P horizontal single-axis tracking PV systems in desert conditions produced up to 13.5% more electricity than fixed-tilt systems over long-term field testing in Qatar. The study also showed strong seasonal and technology-dependent performance, with tracker advantages varying with irradiance and weather conditions.

An international research team has proposed a perovskite solar cell architecture incorporating a thin tetraphenyl-porphine zinc interfacial layer to enhance surface potential, passivate defect states, and improve charge transport. The strategy leads to improved device efficiency and operational stability, enabling power conversion efficiencies exceeding 13%.

Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a scalable, lead-free perovskite solar cell manufacturing process that achieves record indoor-light efficiency while avoiding toxic materials and enabling flexible consumer electronics applications.

Researchers in Canada designed an air-source heat pump integrated with an air-based solar collector and radiant floor heating for cold climates, showing that the proposed system configuratuon could improve the coefficient of performance from 2–4 to 2–6 and reduce significantly annual energy consumption.

While the exact specifications of the new product, such as dimensions and weight, haven’t been disclosed, available imagery suggests potential transportation challenges.

Researchers in Austria found that unusually high photovoltaic efficiency in lead-halide perovskites can be explained by internal electric fields generated at strain-induced domain walls, which separate charge carriers and enable long-range transport. Their experiments indicated that these effects arise from mesoscopic structural inhomogeneities rather than a uniform crystal structure, providing a general mechanism for charge separation in these materials.

Spanish researchers found that combining agrivoltaics with regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) can cut tomato irrigation water use by about 50%, while improving land-use efficiency through simultaneous crop and solar energy production.

The announcement of the company’s latest module power electronics project came alongside Q1 2026 earnings that showed a 20.6% decrease in year-over-year revenue numbers amid a steep decline in domestic demand.

In a week marked by the largest sodium-ion battery order to date, widely seen as a watershed moment for the technology’s commercialization at scale, one of Europe’s emerging players, Spain’s Bihar Batteries, is strengthening the outlook for European-made sodium-ion batteries.

A UNSW-led research team proposed two low-power ride-through strategies for standalone PV–electrolyzer systems to maintain stability during sudden solar power fluctuations without using battery storage.