Technology and R&D

In an upcoming pv magazine Webinar, Chinese manufacturer JA Solar will present its M10 DeepBlue 3.0 modules based on gallium-doped technology for either rooftop or large-scale applications. The company’s senior technical manager, Ignacio Espinosa, discusses the advantages offered by the M10 technology.

The cell is based on ferrocene and is claimed to retain more than 98% of its initial efficiency after continuously operating at the maximum power point for 1,500 hours under standard illumination conditions.

US scientists have utilized a nanochannels device to cool down the operating temperature of a commercial PV module and have found that the proposed technique is able to improve power yield by up to 32.8%. Spray droplets are dispersed over the nanochannels device in order to eliminate the need for a continuous supply of a coolant.

A third of the 17 MW solar array is now completed. The installation is expected to cover around 17% of the theme park’s electricity needs. Final completion is scheduled for 2023.

Two different studies have highlighted the potential and challenges of low-head pumped hydro storage (PHS), which has so far never been implemented in real projects. Different main areas were identified for future research and an interesting levelized cost of storage was indicated for certain project configurations.

The hydrogen generation facility will be initially powered by a photovoltaic plant, but Essent may also add wind power for periods when the sun is not shining. The energy company also plans to deploy some battery storage capacity at the plant for the temporary storage of the surplus of solar power that cannot be immediately converted into hydrogen or supplied back to the grid.

Servotech Power Systems, with the support of German development agency GIZ, has installed 10 portable solar rooftop systems at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in the Gandhinagar district of Gujarat.

Building-integrated photovoltaics provider Mitrex said its system will provide St. Mary’s University student residence with a power-producing microgrid.

Reversible fuel cell systems based on solid oxide cell (SOC) technology may become an efficient tool to cope with price volatility in the energy market, according to new research from Stanford. Through the proposed model, which mainly considered the electricity markets in Germany and Texas, the research group found that the reversible system may be competitive at current hydrogen prices, provided that there is sufficient variation in daily electricity prices.

A new report from IEEFA says green ammonia could help India significantly reduce its trillion-rupee fertilizer subsidy bill and cut dependence on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports for fertilizer production.