Technology and R&D

Huaneng Power International has switched on a 320 MW floating PV array in China’s Shandong province. It deployed the plant in two phases on a reservoir near its 2.65 GW Dezhou thermal power station.

NASA sent the world’s most powerful telescope into space on Dec. 25. It deployed and powered a related PV array 30 minutes after launch.

JinkoSolar says the collaboration could be the first-ever integration of next-generation N-type technology into solar hydrogen production. Meanwhile, Russia is reportedly ready to collaborate with the European Union on hydrogen energy projects, and Snam Group has signed a term sheet with the Torino Airport Management Company for the construction of a hydrogen-ready fuel cell system in cogeneration mode with a capacity of 1.2MW at Torino Airport.

Spain also launched its hydrogen mobility program for commercial use for the first time in the country, and TSO Transgaz has called for an extraordinary meeting to endorse the company’s plans to make investments in hydrogen, including joining the European Hydrogen Backbone group. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, meanwhile, announced that its liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, has departed from Kobe for Australia. It is set to return in February with what is expected to be the world’s first international liquefied hydrogen delivery.

As part of a project headed by the European Space Agency investigating materials for long-term missions, scientists in Estonia are investigating a tiny iron-based crystal as a potential solar cell material. So far, the material has not achieved the sort of efficiency that would spark a lot of interest. These researchers, however, are interested in it for a different reason: Beyond planet Earth, the material is abundant enough that it could eventually be manufactured on the Moon or even Mars.

An international team of researchers has collected data on metal halide perovskite solar cells from more than 15,000 specialist publications and made them available in an open-access database. The Perovskite Database Project is based on the FAIR data principles that data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable and aims to capture the rapid development occurring in this increasingly relevant research field.

The PV industry in 2021 has largely been defined by disruption: Price increases from raw materials to final shipping have led to shortages in PV module supply and project delays the world over. Despite these upsets, innovation has continued at pace, and the year has seen plenty of technological twists and turns that are sure to spell good news for solar in the long run. Read on for a look back at some of the biggest developments.

2021 marked the second year of pv magazine’s UP Initiative where we shined a spotlight on sustainability in the solar industry. Over the course of 12 months, we focused on four key issues. First up was agrivoltaics – the combination of agriculture and solar energy – in recognition of this emerging market. The goal was to understand the potential benefits and economic, political, and technical challenges of such an innovative partnership. Read on to discover our coverage from this quarterly theme and watch out over the coming days for the topics of Workers’ rights, Sustainable electricity and corporates’ critical solar role, and Urban Solar.

Structural imbalances in the supply chain and the energy intensity and consumption controls that China imposed in late September have caused prices for most PV module materials and components to continue to rise. Shipping fees and PV plant construction costs also remain high. PV plants in many regions will therefore be postponed until next year, but it remains unclear when module prices will start to fall. Despite these challenges, the global race to cut carbon emissions continues, and InfoLink’s Corrine Lin forecasts a bright future for PV deployments in 2022.

A Spanish consortium has started commissioning tests to produce renewable hydrogen in Mallorca, while another consortium led by Portuguese energy giants EPD and Galp is set to develop 100MW of green hydrogen production in Sines, Portugal. Lightsource bp and Dourogás have also agreed to set up a joint venture to invest in solar and green hydrogen infrastructure in Portugal.