Technology and R&D

Indian researchers have assessed seven of NTPC’s solar plants in various climate zones. They used a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method to evaluate economic, technical, environmental, and connectivity issues.

China’s GoodWe has introduced specialized carport solar panels to the Australian market. The panels are designed to address concerns related to water drainage and wiring.

Maxeon is set to buy shingled cell solar patents from Complete Solaria. Along with its solar panel patent portfolio, Maxeon will also acquire Complete Solaria’s dealer channel operations and contracts.

The battery packages include a battery, an inverter and a control system. The US manufacturer claims its storage systems have a lifespan of over 10,000 cycles and a depth of discharge of 80%.

The Chinese manufacturer also inked new strategic cooperation agreements while displaying the new line of solar modules at RE+ 2023 in Las Vegas.

Swiss scientists claim no distribution grid expansion is needed to increase the share of solar PV in energy systems, but they warn that priority dispatch for PV during peak loads may become a serious issue in the years to come. Among a range of recommendations, they proposed reducing peak loads by developing grid-serving behavior with PV system owners having to do their part.

The rise of cost-effective TOPCon cell technology last year led to a ‘surge’ in production demand for solar n-type cell technology, with leading industry analysts TrendForce prophesying PERC cell capacities ‘may’ be phased out in two to three years. The company’s experts, however, warn that oversupply for p-type cells and modules may increase the price gap between n-type and p-type products in the upcoming months.

Ampace says its new battery cell technology has a 15,000-cycle lifetime. It is suitable for stationary and solar power storage applications, with a potential lifespan of up to 20 years.

At a recent automobile industry event, Germany-based Webasto announced its retractable vehicle integrated PV system for car-roofs was integrated into a new electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) by an undisclosed US equipment manufacturer.

A research group led by the Technical University of Denmark has analyzed how booster heat pumps may effectively improve the performance of ultra-low temperature district heating networks in colder climates and has found that the refrigerant change plays a crucial role. They also said that powering these heat pumps with renewables may also better integrate clean sources in energy systems.