Technology and R&D

The cell has an area of 333.4 cm2 and is based on passivating contacts based on polysilicon and silicon monoxide (SiOx). The Fujian Metrology Institute in China has confirmed the result.

Scientists in the US developed a series of accelerated testing procedures designed to predict how perovskite solar cells will perform when installed outdoors for a long period of time. The study finds that combined, simultaneous exposure to light and heat gives the most accurate of how a perovskite solar cell will perform in the field.

In a new monthly column for pv magazine, the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) explains how much solar PV energy could be harvested from freed-up agricultural land in densely-populated countries with declining populations.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) explains how to expand the deployment of mini-grids for electricity access, especially in less developed countries.

New research from Belgium shows agrivoltaic facilities with trackers perform significantly better than projects with fixed structures. The scientists found projects with tracking achieved an LCOE of €0.077 ($0.082)/kWh, while facilities with fixed structures were found to have an LCOE of €0.10/kWh.

Samsung claims its new product is able provide domestic hot water of up to 75 C when the outdoor temperature is between -10 C and 35 C. It relies on an enlarged heat exchanger that the company claims is capable of transferring more heat compared to a conventional outdoor unit.

Longi Chairman Zhong Baoshen said last week that that the company’s hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) technology will dominate its production capacity in the future.

All new PV plants over 1 MW in the Netherlands will have to use a real-time interface to make their facilities better communicate with the grid operator starting from next year. Utrecht-based Withthegrid, has developed an interface that is compatible with a number of brand-name inverters.

Scientists in Turkey have developed a new algorithm to optimize the efficiency of PV-powered water pumps. The novel technique is based on the Extended Kalman–Bucy filter, which is a predictor-corrector algorithm used extensively in control systems engineering for estimating unmeasured states of a process.

Researchers in Australia have provided a series of recommendations to set up regulatory frameworks for PV module recycling and reuse. They said that, as a rule of thumb, landfill bans, tracking of the panels’ serial numbers, and a clear definition of ownership should always be included in the legislation for end-of-life solar products.