Technology and R&D

An international research group has created a closed-loop, transparent energy platform based on PV power generation and hydrogen production from photo-electrochemical cells. The system is claimed to supply power without interruption and to be transparent enough to be integrated into buildings.

The solar roof was developed in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Designed by scientists in Germany, the module facade has to be integrated with a building’s technical equipment. The rooms behind the facade can be supplied with solar power and at the same time heated, cooled and ventilated.

German scientists have developed a novel hydrogen storage method that relies on nanostructures – tiny nanoparticles made of the precious metal palladium – instead of high pressure and lower temperatures.

Researchers in Singapore have created a flexible framework for designing hotspot-resistant shingled modules. Their work is claimed to be perfectly compatible with existing manufacturing techniques.

Researchers at Stanford University and the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have explored the potential recovery of lost capacity in lithium batteries by using an extremely fast discharging step to reconnect an island of inactive lithium with the anode. Adding this extra step slowed the degradation of their test battery and increased its lifespan by nearly 30%.

GAF Energy manufactures its Timberline solar tiles at a new facility in California. It claims that the Timberline Solar roof system is unique because it directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials.

Elsewhere, the ‘world’s first hydrogen racing truck’ has set out on this year’s Dakar Rally, with sponsorship from Saudi Aramco, and French hydrogen equipment business McPhy has been selected as preferred supplier for the GreenH2Atlantic project in Portugal.

An international research team has tested a holographic film based on prismatic concentrators that was presented by Russian scientists last year and is claimed to significantly reduce the operating temperature of solar modules, including that of thermal-photovoltaic devices. According to the new findings, the film is able to lower the operating temperature by around 3.5 degrees Celsius.

Growatt has been on an upward trajectory, recording an over 60% revenue increase in 2021, despite the many challenges posed in the solar industry. Lisa Zhang, global marketing director tells pv magazine how the Chinese PV inverter manufacturer overcame semiconductor chip shortages and rising costs amidst a global pandemic in addition to discussing key markets and new inverter products.