Technology and R&D

A consortium of Singaporean universities and companies will study the feasibility of integrating a hybrid floating solar project with ocean, tidal, and wind capacity. If successful, the parties plan to deploy a pilot system with at least 100 MW of renewables capacity.

Qingdao University researchers have synthesized high-performance titanium dioxide-based anode materials with excellent cycling stability, while German scientists have used operando techniques to observe how solvated sodium ions embed themselves in electrodes.

A unit of Svevind has signed an agreement to invest up to $50 billion in a project on the Caspian Sea that could produce up to 2 million tons of green hydrogen per year. Stellantis, meanwhile, has revealed plans to mass produce light commercial hydrogen vehicles.

Scientists at EPFL in Switzerland have achieved a new efficiency record for dye-sensitized solar cells. The group reported 15% efficiency in direct sunlight, and up to 30% under ambient light conditions. Their key achievement was the development of a new combination of photosensitizer materials that can absorb the entire light spectrum.

KSolare’s 5G-Pro series grid-tie solar inverters are now available with power ranging from 3 kW to 60 kW.

A new study has calculated that the globalized PV module supply chain has saved billions for PV installers in Germany, the US and China. It also found that if strong nationalistic policies that limit the free flow of talent and capital were implemented going forward, solar panel costs would be 20-25% higher by 2030.

A US research team claims to have demonstrated that increasing the spacing of solar panels between rows improves PV system efficiency and economics by allowing airflow to cool down the modules. The method could improve a project’s LCOE by as much as 2.15% in certain climates.

Researchers from Germany have designed a tandem perovskite silicon PV cell that reportedly has lower reflection losses and improved open-circuit voltage. They demonstrated a device with submicrometre-periodic nanotextures and an improved back-reflector design.

A team of researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has proposed a novel cost-effective way to recycle silicon solar panels. Their process consists of module deframing, laminate shredding and material concentration using electrostatic separation, reducing their original weight by 2% to 3%.

A Swedish team has inaugurated a pilot facility to mass produce algae material that can potentially boost silicon solar module efficiency by 4% and thin film by 36%. The algae are added to the encapsulant in silicon-based modules or to the anti-reflective coating on the glass of thin film modules. The team estimates the resulting modules would be 3.9% cheaper.