Technology and R&D

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.

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.

Netherlands-based Autarco has developed a new mounting structure for large PV modules in commercial and industrial arrays.

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.

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).

People, equipment, construction and technology best practices can optimize performance.

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.

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.

Wood Mackenzie has urged policymakers and companies to focus on the full life-cycle emissions of hydrogen, while a European Commission has revealed that a European business mission will visit Mauritania in March to explore hydrogen investment opportunities.

Verde Technologies, a U.S.-based spinoff of the University of Vermont specializing in single junction and all thin-film tandem perovskite solar technologies, has demonstrated that its coating processes are transferable to existing commercial roll-to-roll manufacturing lines in a project with compatriot manufacturer Verico Technology.