Technology and R&D

The Austrian manufacturer said its new heat pump is an ideal solution for industrial and district heating market segments. The system features an advanced rotor system, exploiting diffusion bonding technology, which reportedly enables higher temperature lifts, and greater manufacturability due to fewer components.

Norwegian vertical PV system provider Over Easy Solar deployed a 248.4 kW installation on Norway’s national football stadium. The system features over 1,200 vertical photovoltaic panels developed by Over Easy Solar itself.

Japanese scientists built a thin-film perovskite solar cell incorporating fluorinated phosphoric acid (TPFP) into the absorber’s precursor solution. The device achieved remarkable power conversion efficiency due to effective passivation at the interface between the perovskite film and the hole transport layer.

Smart building materials company ClearVue Technologies has cracked the Middle East and Indian construction markets after signing a five-year agreement with Qatar’s largest glass and façade manufacturer.

The eight-day Electrek American Solar Challenge 2024 created three new champion solar car teams with the student-run University of Michigan team coming in first, followed by Canada’s École de technologie supérieure and the Illinois State University solar car team.

Researchers in Germany have proposed to use a machine learning technique known as reinforcement learning to optimize heat pump performance and reduce electricity consumption in apartment complexes. Their simulation showed that significant savings can be achieved without compromising comfort levels.

The Chinese manufacturer’s new battery energy storage system consists of an inverter ranging in size from 5 kW to 13 kW and a storage system of 10 kWh to 30 kWh. Up to five units can be connected in parallel.

It will be integrated with Fraunhofer ISE’s micro-CPV module technology, with 36.5% efficiency. A first prototype will be installed in Spain before the end of 2024.

Scientists in Finland have built a perovskite solar cell with a bio-inspired coating that reportedly improves light transmittance while providing self-cleaning properties. The film was able to improve the device efficiency by up to 6%.

In Germany – but not only there – there is a heated debate about the pros and cons of a capacity market. The German Renewable Energy Association is against it, and recently the German New Energy Industry Association, the DIHK and the EEX energy exchange have also taken a clear stance: Germany does not need a “power plant subsidy program.” In this article, four experts explain why battery storage can also play an important role in a capacity market and make recommendations on how the design of the market can help avoid mismanagement, wrong incentives and unnecessary costs.