Technology and R&D

As bifacial modules proliferate, estimations of albedo are becoming more important and with developers not prepared to install weather stations to assess solar resource, a popular option has become third-party, on-site measurements over periods as short as a day. Is this an acceptable compromise between costly on-site measuring and less accurate satellite data? Everoze’s Stefan Mau discusses the potential benefits and limitations of this approach.

Scientists have manufactured and analyzed a novel coating for semi-transparent photovoltaic glazing that reportedly offers remarkable energy yield and a low heat gain rate. Through outdoor experiments, the researchers also found the glazing also provides satisfactory high-quality indoor lighting conditions.

Chinese in China have utilized two sulfone-based organic molecules known as diphenylsulfone (DPS) and 4,4′-dimethyldiphenylsulfone (DMPS) to passivate absorber defects in perovskite solar cells. The result is a device with a higher electron cloud density at the interface between the perovskite material and the passivation layer.

The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 64 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are 19 new results reported in the new version.

Scientists in the United Kingdom and Finland publish a new model for analyzing thin-film and other PV devices with low charge-carrier mobilities. It’s claimed the unified diode equation for thin-film PV provides insights into the mechanisms driving limiting charge collection and power-conversion efficiency in low-mobility PV devices.

Construction has begun on a solar and battery-based microgrid that is to provide the northeast Victoria town of Corryong with crucial energy resilience, helping keep the power on during emergencies such as bushfires and storms.

KparK Énergies says its low-carbon Carport Solaire Aluminium system and comes equipped with solar panels, microinverters, virtual batteries, and charging stations for electric vehicles.

Researchers in Iran have investigated the operation of a real solar-powered greenhouse in the Alborz province and have found that only 4% of the greenhouse’s roof needs to be covered with PV modules to meet demand for lighting and pumping water.

Three Fraunhofer institutes in Germany have developed a tandem module for direct hydrogen production, as a modular, flexible alternative to large electrolyzers. PV is an additional power supply.

The Saudi research institute said its new four-terminal tandem device has achieved the highest efficiency ever reported for perovskite-based 4-T and triple-junction tandem solar cells to date. The key feature of the cell is the hole transport layer of the top perovskite cell, which was engineered with self-assembled monolayers.