Technology and R&D

A Finnish-Norwegian research group has assessed the global potential of vertical east-west bifacial PV (VBPV) projects and found that these installations may provide a low LCOE at Nordic latitudes, in Central Europe and subtropical desert areas. The researchers also found that residential and commercial VBPV systems are a grid-friendly solution for low-voltage networks when compared to monofacial arrays.

Belgium’s federal government has decided to reduce to 6% the VAT on PV systems and heat pumps deployed on buildings erected over the past ten years. This measure was previously applied only to projects developed on buildings that were more than ten years old.

Through a strategic partnership, the two companies want to equip 1.5 million buildings in Europe with photovoltaics, storage systems, recharging solutions for electric vehicles, and heat pumps by 2030.

The PowerPark carport is equipped with 5.6kW of monocrystalline modules and one or more WallBox charging stations for hybrid or electric vehicles. French company Aterno is selling the system, starting from €19,900 – excluding VAT – depending on the project configuration.

The Haringvliet energy park consists of a 38MW solar facility a 22MW wind power complex and 12 battery containers. The three systems share the same grid connection.

Developed by researchers in Spain, the battery uses renewable electricity to melt low-cost metals such as silicon or ferrosilicon alloys to produce and store latent heat, which is in turn used by a thermophovoltaic generator to produce power. According to its creators, the device may store electricity at a cost of €10 per kilowatt-hour for a 10MWh system.

A US-German research group has used above-bandgap light to improve ion mobility in ceramic materials used in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. It found that the grain boundary conductance of gadolinium-doped cerium oxide, which is a ceramic used as a solid-state electrolyte in fuel cells, can be improved by a factor of approximately 3.5 at 250 degrees Celsius, by applying the proposed light technique.

Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness revealed that an international consortium is planning to build a pumped-hydro storage project that has already secured preliminary approval. The project, which will also include deep-sea desalination, is currently undergoing technical and due-diligence reviews.

The device is claimed to be an ideal solution for deploying solar arrays on Mediterranean roof architecture.

The new laminator is suitable for any type of photovoltaic module and is specially designed for glass-glass modules and new applications such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and vehicle-integrated solar.