Longi unveils heterojunction BC solar cells with 27.3% efficiency
The Chinese manufacturer said the device is based on dense passivating contacts that reduce parasitic light absorption and improve passivation. It used a streamlined manufacturing technique that is reportedly about one-third more effective than TOPCon mainstream technology.
New encapsulation method boosts perovskite solar cell efficiency by 8%
Scientists at Aalto University in Finland have demonstrated a one-step encapsulant method for perovskite solar cells that provides shielding from oxygen and moisture-induced degradation and a significant relative improvement in efficiency.
Adveco releases 65 kW, 110 kW heat pumps
Adveco has released 65 kW and 110 kW heat pumps, capable of scaling up to 1,760 kW by controlling up to 16 systems from a single unit. The pumps feature R32 refrigerant circuits.
Solar LED streetlight with integrated PV panels, battery
Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer Para Light Electronic has launched a compact solar LED streetlight with integrated PV panels and battery to provide up to 15 hours of area-lighting for pedestrian walkways and roads.
The Hydrogen Stream: Mibgas, DH2 Energy launch Iberian H2 auction
Portuguese researchers say that raw materials are not a major concern for the European supply chain, while Mibgas Derivatives and DH2 Energy have launched the Iberian Peninsula’s first renewable hydrogen auction.
EU upgrades open-access tool to assess residential solar-plus-storage yield
The European Commission has released version 5.3 of its free Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) tool, which calculates the yield of residential solar-plus-storage systems and provides global solar radiation and PV performance data.
Understanding renewable energy ‘drought’ at solar, wind sites
An international research team based across Canada, China and the US have said developers must stop focusing not only resource availability, and also consider resource variability and resource extremeness, to avoid renewables “drought” at solar and wind sites.
Nine-year EL testing on 85,000 PV modules shows increasing presence of edge ribbon cracks
A UK research team used electroluminescence imaging to inspect 167 PV installations comprising a total of 5 million solar cells. Defects were categorized into into line cracks, complex cracks, edge-ribbon cracks, and potential-Induced degradation (PID).
Stuck in a loop: The co-adoption dynamics of PV and heat pumps
Scientists in Switzerland have created a system-dynamics model for the adoption of PV and heat pumps in Swiss residential buildings up to 2050. They have examined several scenarios to see how the incentive for PV affects heat pump adoption and the other way around, and they have concluded that strong regulatory changes are necessary to completely decarbonize the residential sector.
Custom-colored modules increase social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics
A study by the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems finds that deploying color-matching solar modules on a building’s roof or facade further increases social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
