Technology and R&D

The panel is part of the company’s new TOPCon module series, which also includes a 430W product with an efficiency of 21.99%.

Developed by Germany-based hydrogen specialist Enapter, the EL 4.0 electrolyzer is based on a patented anion exchange membrane (AEM) technology. Commercial production is currently being prepared at the company’s Italian plant and the first shipments should be made in the summer.

The city government of Florence, in Italy, is installing solar-powered, self-compacting garbage cans that are claimed to reduce emptying operations by 94% compared to traditional bins. The devices were provided by Korean manufacturer Ecube Labs.

Developed for applications in BIPV, vehicle-integrated solar and smart glasses, the solar cell was built with an ultra-thin, semi-transparent, triple-cation perovskite film and gold nanorods (Au NRs). The device achieved an open-circuit voltage of 1097.1mV, a short-circuit current of 17.11mA/cm² and a fill factor of 73.12%.

Nearly a month after the fire occurred at the O’Mega 1 floating power plant in Piolenc, Akuo has drawn the first conclusions from the incident. pv magazine was able to visit the site to observe the damage, gather lessons, and see the arrangements put in place by the site managers.

Australia’s Poseidon Marine H2 says it expects to have a hydrogen-powered boat in Australian waters within the next 18 months, after bringing on board the principal engineers from Dynamic Efficiency.

Solar modules from Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, and Felicity Solar were tested in a prototype of a photovoltaic-thermal collector that uses excess heat from the PV elements to heat water. The system uses a thermally insulated helical coil heat exchanger to recover panel heat and a solenoid valve to allow water recirculation when the temperature below the PV module rises significantly.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, have developed a new solid chloride electrolyte that swaps out half of the indium for scandium and offers several important advantages, such as high voltage operation.

Underwriters Laboratories, a US non-profit standards development organization, will carry out research into the operating and safety profile of Redflow’s redox flow batteries under nominal and off-nominal conditions.

Dutch company Rads Global Business has developed an anti-soiling coating for solar PV modules that are at least two years old. The new product is claimed to increase power yield by up to 7% and to have a payback time of 2.5 to four years depending on the dust level of the site.