Refurbishing heritage buildings with BIPV, heat pumps, energy efficiency
An energy makeover of a heritage-listed church built in 1965 included new solar PV roof, new insulation, new windows, and heat pumps, enabling it to produce 149% of its energy requirements. The achievement garnered the project team the Norman Foster Solar Award 2023.
Demystifying upcoming EU Ecodesign and Energy Label rules for solar PV
Ahead of the upcoming introduction of EU Ecodesign and Energy Label policy measures for solar PV products, SolarPower Europe brings some reflections on the topic, adding insights to the ongoing industry discussions.
Panasonic presents air-to-water reversible heat pumps
The Japanese electronics manufacturer said its new heat pumps are suitable for commercial, industrial, and multi-dwelling residential applications. The new products feature a rated power ranging from 50 kW to 80 kW and a coefficient of performance spanning from 3.2 to 3.4.
Bifacial agrivoltaics for olive groves
A Spanish-Italian research team has investigated different system configurations for bifacial agrivoltaic solar arrays deployed in olive groves and has found that the solar modules’ tilt angle has a significant impact on power yield while their height plays a crucial role on increasing agricultural yield.
New ion implantation tech promises lower costs for TOPCon solar cells
A Japanese-German research team has fabricated a TOPCon PV device by replacing common ion implantation techniques with plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). The resulting device showed almost the same efficiency as TOPCon cells produced with conventional Beam line ion implantation systems.
New mounting system for east-west C&I PV systems
Netherlands-based Autarco has developed a new mounting structure for large PV modules in commercial and industrial arrays.
Sharp unveils vehicle-to-home EV charger for PV-powered homes
Sharp has developed vehicle-to-home (V2H) electric-vehicle chargers for PV-powered homes, featuring 6 kW of charging/discharging rated power and an input DC voltage of 340 V. The wall-mounted devices are suitable for indoor and outdoor environments.
US researchers develop 108 cm2 perovskite solar module with 19.21% efficiency
The scientists built the panel with perovskite solar cells treated with trifluoromethane sulfonate to combat iodide defects. The mini module reportedly achieved the highest efficiency ever recorded for its size to date, with the result being confirmed by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
O&M strategies to improve efficiency of solar assets
People, equipment, construction and technology best practices can optimize performance.
Simulation model to determine coefficient of performance of air-source heat pumps
A Dutch research team has outlined a new method to assess the coefficient of performance of air-to-water heat pumps by considering ambient temperature and relative humidity. The model is based on the equalization of the so-called logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD), which determines the temperature driving force for heat transfer in flow systems such as heat exchangers.
