China strengthens intellectual property protection in solar industry
Chinese authorities are planning to implement a series of policy measures to introduce stronger intellectual property protection to the country’s photovoltaic sector. Chinese enterprises are being encouraged to accelerate technological advancements and reserve basic patents for developing technologies.
Researchers propose new taxonomy for agrivoltaics
A Malaysian research team proposed new concepts such as cowvoltaics, sheepvoltaics, goatvoltaics, veggievoltaics, fruitvoltaics and fishvoltaics to better define the diverse applications of photovoltaics in dual land use. Their review outlines four main categories – livestockvoltaics, crop-based agrivoltaics, aquavoltaics, and zoovoltaics – and presents several business cases.
Japanese airport terminal hosting chalcopyrite solar modules
In two separate projects Japan-based Kyuden Mirai Energy and Nissan Motor are demonstrating the use of flexible, glass-free chalcopyrite PV panels provided by PXP Corporation.
Scandium doping stabilizes sodium-ion cathodes in new study
A team at Tokyo University of Science (TUS) has identified a structural mechanism by which adding small amounts of scandium to layered sodium manganese oxide cathodes slows the degradation that typically limits sodium-ion battery lifetimes.
UK study finds azimuthal trackers boost floating PV performance
A University of Exeter team has tested single-axis tracking systems for floating solar across 12 UK sites, finding azimuthal tracking delivers the largest energy gains and lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE).
LiTime launches 320 Ah LiFePO4 battery with 4,096 Wh capacity
Chinese battery maker LiTime has introduced its 12V 320Ah Mini Smart Self-Heating Battery, offering 4,096 Wh of energy capacity and 2,560 W of continuous output power.
New digital twin for floating PV application uses artificial intelligence
Scientists have developed a floating PV digital twin system, trained on data from 155 physical experiments, using a two-tier artificial neural network (ANN) with a high-fidelity model and a reduced-order model. Predictive performance reached R2 values of 0.9996 for PV surface temperature and 0.9189 for power output.
UK research calls for robust approach to rooftop solar fire safety
Research commissioned by the UK government finds rooftop solar panels can significantly influence fire behavior, particularly when the height gap between modules and the roof surface falls below critical limits.
Flexible front cover tested for glass-free CIGS devices
Researchers in Japan have developed an effective encapsulation with a PET front cover for copper indium gallium diselenide mini-modules. The lab devices withstood damp heat tests, retaining approximately 97 % of initial efficiency after 3,600 h.
Growing agri-PV tomatoes while producing hydrogen for smart windows
Scientists have simulated a residential building based on a real double-story house in the United Kingdom, combining rooftop agrivoltaics with onsite hydrogen production. Electricity generated by the solar system is used to produce hydrogen, which is then supplied to a hydrogen vehicle and insulated gasochromic smart windows.
