Drone imaging tech enhances solar performance
Drone-mounted imaging of solar farm performance at the rate of one panel per second reduces the cost of current ground-based sampling methods by up to 20 times. A new strategic Australia-Singapore partnership is helping to ensure the output of PV assets is always at peak.
French firms deploy 10 wind-PV generators on commercial rooftop
Segula Technologies and Wind my Roof recently installed 10 hybrid wind-solar generators on the rooftop of a commercial building. Each system features a 1,500 W wind turbine and two 800 W solar modules. A smart storage system will support a microgrid in the building.
Masked engineer highlights strangest mistakes in solar deployment
A Brazilian engineer on Instagram, always wearing a mask, has become a sensation in the Brazilian solar industry, attracting 12 sponsors with a mission to educate companies and consumers about common errors to avoid in rooftop PV installations.
Sharp claims 33.66% efficiency for silicon tandem solar cell
The Japanese electronic manufacturer said this is the world’s highest efficiency for a stacked solar cell that combines a tandem double-junction solar cell and a silicon solar cell.
Hoymiles introduces three-phase solar microinverters
Chinese manufacturer Hoymiles has announced the North American launch of its new inverters, which are designed for commercial and industrial installations.
New survey shows ‘massive’ increase in PV module microcracks
A new study from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) shows that 83% of sites tested as part of a global survey had line cracks, 78% had a soldering anomaly and 76% had complex cracks. The survey involved visual inspections combined with electroluminescence testing across 148 sites in 16 countries.
Inverted perovskite solar cell achieves 25.3% efficiency via interface engineering
An international group of scientists has fabricated an inverted perovskite solar cell that claims both high power conversion efficiency and a promising high degree of stability. A champion cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 25.3%, with an encapsulated version retaining 95% of the initial efficiency after extensive heat and humidity testing.
Storing renewables with landscaping gravel
Sandia National Laboratories and CSolPower have started researching the use of landscaping gravel as a thermal energy storage medium.
Cadmium telluride solar cells show strong resistance after 30,000 orbits around Earth
Researchers in the United Kingdom have tested the perfomance of cadmium telluride solar cells deployed on the AlSat-1N 3U CubeSat satellite from 2016 to 2022. Their findings show the devices exhibited no significant performance changes, nor any sign of delamination.
New lead-free perovskite solar cell design promises 26.96% efficiency
Bangladeshi scientists have developed a high-efficiency perovskite solar cell with 26.96% efficiency, an open-circuit voltage of 1.0478 V, and a fill factor of 81.35%.
