Swiss startup makes first attempt to deploy solar on railways
Swiss startup Sun-Ways has developed a patented solution under which it directly rolls out solar modules between railway tracks like a carpet. The panels can be removed at any time for maintenance work.
Cooling solar modules with vacuum pressure
Scientists in Indonesia have developed a vacuum technique to lower the temperature of PV modules below the ambient air temperature. They applied it to a solar module in a casing that is resistant to negative pressure.
Pathways for perovskite PV
Perovskite solar cells have created excitement in recent years, given their potential to improve virtually every area of PV, but we have yet to see such devices produced at scale. Scientists in Australia have outlined some of the challenges holding them back.
Lithium sulfur flow battery with 250 Wh/L energy density
Edinburgh-based energy storage solutions specialist StorTera has developed a long-duration, energy-dense, lithium-sulfur-based single liquid flow battery (SLIQ). The tech is said to last for 30 years with minimal degradation.
Interactive mapping tool for US renewable energy projects
Argonne National Laboratory has released an online geospatial mapping tool to support siting decisions and identify areas that are suitable for solar, wind and other clean energy infrastructure projects.
BayWa r.e. continue to deploy agrivoltaic facilities across Europe
German renewables developer BayWa r.e. has finished building four new pilot agrivoltaic projects in the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany. They combine solar with fruit cultivation.
Video: Energy Vault CEO discusses LCOS, novel gravity-based storage design
Robert Piconi, CEO of gravity storage specialist Energy Vault, makes the case for the US company’s long-duration energy storage solutions as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, and discusses the ideal project size from an economic perspective.
Europe, Japan led global hydrogen patents in 2011-20 period
The European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have released a new report on hydrogen tech patents. They noted the rise in electrolysis innovation and said automakers and chemicals suppliers are leading the way with hydrogen patents.
First attempt to build solar cells based on gold polyhalide hybrid perovskite
Scientists in Sweden have proposed the use of gold polyiodide compounds in monolithic perovskite solar cells. They built a lead-free device that achieved an efficiency of 0.052%.
Solar-powered water desalination tech for off-grid applications
Berlin-based Boreal Light has developed water desalination tech powered by PV for off-grid applications. The solution uses 460 W solar panels from Chinese module manufacturer DAH Solar and produces clean water from direct seawater at a cost of €0.50 ($0.54)/m3.
