Technology and R&D

Researchers in Australia have compared the firing resistance of p-type and n-type poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts and found that the former have better resistance to hydrogen diffusivity and higher passivation quality after firing.

The factory is expected to begin operating with an annual capacity of 300 MW and to produce bifacial modules with a power output of 600 W.

Europe’s declining security situation and rising fossil fuel prices are driving calls for independence from gas. A new study by the Wuppertal Institute, commissioned by Greenpeace, shows that a complete shift away from fossil fuels in the heating sector could be possible for Germany within 13 years.

Australia-based mining giant Fortescue has started the development of an electric train that recharges itself using gravity, after settling its recent purchase of UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering.

A UK consortium is developing an organic flow battery technology that could be used in ports to supply power to visiting vessels and in-port assets such as cranes and port vehicles. The electro-chemistry for the batteries is being supplied by German battery manufacturer CMBlu, which developed a flow battery relying on high-performance energy storage molecules that are entirely organic.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have fabricated an integrated fully PV-powered system to extract fresh water from the atmosphere. The system uses excess heat from the solar modules to evaporate and condense water that can then be used to grow crops. Part of the water is also used to cool down the solar modules through an active cooling technique.

The US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has made a third semi-exclusive commercial license for vanadium redox flow battery technologies, in order to help bring the technology to market.

Built by Korean oil provider SK Energy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the “Energy Super Station” is equipped with 20kW of solar panels and 300kW of fuel cell stacks. It can refuel conventional combustion vehicles as well as electric vehicles and fuel cell cars.

The device integrates various current outlets that enable it to recharge, simultaneously, mobile phones, tablets or computers as well as all kinds of low-consumption electronic devices such as small appliances or electric tools, by simply unfolding the solar panels and connecting them.

Swedish researchers have developed a novel way to manufacture micro supercapacitors, also known as system-on-a-chip, so they are compatible with other components in system circuits and can be easily tailored for different uses.