Technology and R&D

Finnish and German researchers have assessed the role of seasonal hydrogen storage for PV prosumer households with a “least-cost” model at a global level up to 2050. They have found that seasonal hydrogen storage can only be expected in a niche, off-grid market.

Scientists in Turkey have demonstrated that sepiolite, a naturally occurring clay substance, can be added to perovskite precursor materials, and form a scaffold layer that can improve the efficiency and stability of the cells. The scientists believe that this substance could be valuable in developing reproducible processes for the production of large-area perovskite solar cells.

Eight industrial and scientific entities in Germany have come together to pursue two key innovations in lithium-ion battery technology: the replacement of metal foils with a metallized fabric structure, and the use of silicon as anode material.

Scientists in Italy have looked at how flywheel storage and reversible solid oxide cells could be integrated with lithium-ion batteries in minigrids powered by solar. They found that flywheels combined with batteries could be the cheapest option for power smoothing.

Scientists in South Korea have developed a flexible, transparent solar cell with an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 88.3%. They have also created an n-type rear window layer to optimize bifacial operation.

Finnish researchers have studied different scenarios to convert a Nordic oil-heated townhouse into a carbon-neutral building. They dimensioned an off-grid PV-powered heat pump system using waste heat recovery from a hydrogen storage system and calculated its life-cycle cost. They concluded that the solution is less profitable than grid-connected systems.

Romania-based startup Photovoltaic Windows has developed an off-grid domestic hot water system powered by cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic semi-transparent glasses. It claims a 0.7 kW pilot installation on an apartment balcony in Bucharest resulted in annual savings of €1,100 ($1,202).

Taiwanese researchers have developed a system featuring a 2 × 2 Fresnel lens array and a solar panel made of III-V materials and polycrystalline solar cells, with low light leakage.

An international research group created a triple-junction perovskite solar cell with an efficiency of 24.3% and a quasi-steady-state efficiency of 23.3%. The prototype cell, which has been independently certified by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), features rubidium/cesium mixed-cation inorganic perovskites with a bandgap of around 2.0 eV to suppress light-induced phase segregation.

IndiGrid has commissioned a pilot project featuring a solar panel bank coupled with a battery energy storage system (BESS), at its Dhule substation in the Indian state of Maharashtra.