Technology and R&D

Scientists from South Korea have developed a heat pump optimization technique that controls the secondary refrigerant flow. The proposed technology offers the advantage of bypassing the need to control the compressor of the heat pump, which is a function that is commonly not available in commercial devices.

Stryten Energy is planning to begin commercializing its vanadium redox flow batteries in January 2025. Meanwhile it has deployed a 20 kW/120 kWh pilot-sized version of the storage system at a facility operated by Snapping Shoals EMC, an electricity cooperative in Georgia, United States.

A French consortium, led by the CNR (Compagnie nationale du Rhone), is launching a pilot project to build a 900 kW solar cycling path in southern France. The initiative, set to run from 2025 to 2028, aims to assess the performance and design of the PV facility.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV) presents the added benefits of digitalized PV systems, which it will also discuss in two events planned for the upcoming EU-PVSEC conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Smartly blending the wealth of PV energy with the advanced features of inverters can maximize the benefits of PV systems, according to ETIP PV.

Australian researchers are proposing a novel, learning-based H∞ control method to enhance the performance of vanadium redox flow batteries in DC microgrids.

A Polish research team has developed a micro compressed air storage system that could be used in residential and industrial buildings where additional low-temperature waste heat is available. The system is claimed to have optimal control of the compressed air expansion process performance via pulse width modulation (PWM).

Tesla has launched the Powerwall 3 battery with an energy capacity of 13.5 kWh and continuous on-grid power of 11.5 kW, featuring dimensions of 110 cm x 61 cm x 19.3 cm and a weight of 130 kg.

Scientists in India have combined a solar-assisted heat pump with a humidification-dehumidification and vapor compression refrigeration (HDH-VCR) cycle to generate heat and cooling. The system is reportedly able to generate up to 5.5 l per hour (LPH) of fresh water while achieving an ‘enhanced’ coefficient of performance.

A range of different factors can affect the productive lifespan of residential solar inverters.

A team of researchers from Norway analyzed a case study of a cascade hydropower system hybridized with both floating and ground mounted PV under sub-Saharan African market conditions. It found that hybrid systems can reduce seasonal variability in renewable energy generation and increase annual producer profits under both PPA and spot market schemes.