Agrivoltaics for strawberries
In June 2020, German developer BayWa r.e. inaugurated its largest agrivoltaic power plant in the Netherlands, with a capacity of 2.7 MW. pv magazine France looks at the economic model.
Solectria to optimize utility-scale string inverters for First Solar
US inverter supplier Solectria will optimize its XGI 1500 utility-scale string inverters for use with First Solar’s cadmium telluride solar panels.
Transparent organic PV materials for solar window applications
US scientists have built photovoltaic materials with two top layers made of phthalocyanine and heptamethine. They tested the new tech across four different climate areas in the United States.
Co-locating solar, crops, livestock in agrivoltaic projects
US researchers are exploring the potential to co-locate solar with cattle or sheep, crops, pollinator-friendly native plants, soil rehabilitation, and other ecosystem services.
The Hydrogen Stream: US startup unveils nanoparticle-based green hydrogen tech
SunHydrogen has provided a first look at the prototype design for its forthcoming nanoparticle-based green hydrogen technology, and Plug Power has secured a 5 MW electrolyzer order from Lhyfe. A Chinese-US research group, meanwhile, claims to have achieved a highly stable saline water electrolysis using Rhodium nanocrystals.
Bslbatt unveils 10.24 kWh battery for residential PV
China’s Bslbatt said its new battery has a rated capacity of 200 Ah. The product comes with a 10-year warranty and can reportedly provide steady operation for up to 6,000 charge cycles.
Improving n-type TOPCon solar cells
Scientists in China have studied the formation of contacts in tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells, and the role of high-temperature annealing processes on the quality and performance of cells. Their findings could open up pathways for scientists looking to squeeze even more efficiency out this rapidly growing cell technology.
Analysis of solar inverter responses to forest fires
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation inverter reliability team has determined that inverter settings need to be further developed to help them to respond more effectively to forest fires, which triggered power grid issues in the United States during the 2016-17 period.
Photovoltaics for inland shipping vessels
Dutch researchers have looked at how PV systems could be used to power bulk vessels for inland shipping. They found that 7.18% and 5.78% of the energy demand of container ships and bulk vessels can be respectively supplied by solar panels.
Solar, geothermal heat pumps for heating, cooling demand in office buildings
Photovoltaic-thermal panels and geothermal heat pumps could mostly cover the heating and cooling demand of office buildings, according to new research from Greece.
