Technology and R&D

Scientists in Chile have developed a low-cost, easy-to-deploy hydrogen system powered by end-of-life solar panels. The residential solution reportedly achieves a levelized cost of hydrogen of approximately $5.8/kg.

Analysis of longitudinal survey data has explored the link between intended and actual solar panel adoption in UK households. It finds that while most households that had intention of installing solar in 2012-13 were yet to do so by 2021-22, serious intention to install solar still increases the likelihood of adoption more than other factors such as income and environmental perceptions.

Atmoce’s new MI microinverter series connects two PV modules per unit while still providing module-level power optimization.

Ransomware attacks encrypt or lock critical PV system data and control platforms, preventing operators from accessing or managing their assets until a ransom is paid. These attacks can disrupt operations, reduce energy production, and create safety risks, making robust backups, segmentation, and incident response essential for resilience.

The Italian manufacturer has launched a compact range of propane air-to-water heat pumps for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water in residential and light commercial applications, offering up to 15.5 kW heating capacity, a seasonal coefficient of performance of up to 5.18, and water temperatures up to 80 C.

Researchers in China found that PV plants in arid regions create a measurable cool island effect that varies strongly with season, location, and plant design, influencing surrounding vegetation in complex and spatially uneven ways. They showed that cooling intensity and distance differ widely across sites, are driven mainly by plant morphology,

Indian scientists have fabricated perovskite mini-modules with reduced graphene oxide interface engineering, achieving 16.6% efficiency and over 1,300 hours of stable operation. The graphene oxide layer improves film quality, reduces defects, enhances charge transport, and enables scalable fabrication, offering a promising route toward efficient and durable perovskite solar modules.

An ongoing collaboration between Australia’s Halocell Energy and U.S-based Sofab Inks finds that perovskite modules incorporating Sofab’s Tinfab electron transport layer maintain approximately 100% of their normalized efficiency after 1,300 hours under accelerated combined light and damp-heat testing.

The move toward decentralized energy resources offers resilience and flexibility in power generation, but it also introduces new complexities that demand proactive security measures.

Researchers in Austria discovered a wasp nest inside the junction box of a 1998 rooftop PV module, illustrating how insects can exploit even sealed electrical components. The affected module showed significant degradation and partial failure, though overall results confirmed the surprising durability of older PV module designs.