Technology and R&D

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researchers have told pv magazine that hydrogen storage pipelines and gravel could become a reality in lakes or water reservoirs in Europe, the United States, Japan, or China within 10 years. “The technology required to implement the proposed system is available, simple and cheap,” they said.

A European research consortium has produced a prototype solid-state battery using a new manufacturing process that reportedly achieves high energy densities and can be implemented on modern lithium-ion battery production lines.

Venice-based 9-tech has developed a thermomechanical process to recycle end-of-life PV panels, with early results showing an 87% recovery yield of materials such as silicon, copper, and silver.

A group including scientists from Insititute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) and German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm has developed a POLO back junction solar cell by using an industrial plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system with a low-frequency plasma source. The device achieved a slightly higher efficiency than a reference device fabricated via more expensive atomic layer deposition (ALD).

A research paper from scientists at Swansea University describes their tool for analyzing thermodynamic limits of organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics (OPVs). One of the findings was that semi-transparent solar PV deployed in greenhouses may deliver comparable performance to conventional crystalline silicon PV.

Scientists have proposed a new system that uses surplus PV energy in the spring and the autumn to charge up underground thermal energy storage for later use in the summer and winter. They have simulated it on a school facility in Seoul, with a few optional configurations for thermal storage. Power savings were up to 39%.

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has backed a hydrogen fuel cell developer $7 million to support an innovative form of technology using silicon-based bipolar plates.

Belgium’s transmission and distribution system operator says it plans to allow household solar panels and batteries with a plug and socket to connect to the grid from May 2025.

The device developed by TU Bergakademie Freiberg researchers uses aluminum as an anode, graphite as a cathode, and a polymer-based solid electrolyte. It is being validated and further developed for industrial production. The goal is storage capacity of 10 kWh.

Chinese module maker Aiko Solar says it has built a 150 kW off-grid solar carport at an altitude of 4,300 meters on Mount Everest, featuring 645 W bifacial dual-glass modules and 200 kWh of battery storage.