Technology and R&D

The 52 kW containerized solution is being developed by German start-up Solarbakery. The bakery’s production process was adapted in such a way that the majority of electricity consumption is already incurred during the day and is only baked briefly in the dark before dawn.

The AC module incorporates Enphase IQ 7+ microinverters and has now a higher wattage of 385 W.

Swedish business Evolar is working on a bolt-on piece of production equipment which would upgrade the cell lines of conventional manufacturers with a perovskite lift in performance.

Developed by German researchers, the 20.9%-efficient device was built with an architecture avoiding the use of the ionic dopants or metal oxide nanoparticles that are commonly used to contact the cell, as these can be subject to secondary reactions at higher temperatures.

Rolls-Royce is supplying its mtu hydrogen technology for the container terminal currently under construction at the Port of Duisburg in Germany. Furthermore, German energy company RWE wants to produce green hydrogen at the Pembroke Power Station site in Wales and Norway’s Scatec discussed plans for large-scale seawater desalination, hydrogen and ammonia production based on renewable power with the Egyptian government. Meanwhile, the EU has adopted a set of legislative proposals to decarbonize the EU gas market by facilitating the uptake of low carbon gases, including hydrogen.

An international research team has examined combining solar power generation with energy-intensive hydroponic horticulture and has found that this may be a viable solution depending on project size and available incentive policies. Their approach considered various factors impacting PV system efficiency, including environmental factors, the type of solar array, and the electricity demand from the hydroponic farm.

Developed by Japanese PV equipment provider NPC Incorporated, the solar module disassembly line is claimed to enable the reuse of frames, junction boxes, intact broken glass, solar cells and EVA sheets.

The AI-enabled robot is claimed to ensure faster and more efficient deployment of solar modules in utility scale projects.

The optimizers are available in two versions that can be used with modules of up to 440 W and 500W. The devices have an efficiency of 99.5% and come with a 25-year guarantee.

Rocket Lab has acquired space solar cell maker Solaero for $80 million. The latter operates an 11,000m² manufacturing facility in New Mexico and produces multi-junction cells with efficiencies ranging from 29.4% to 32%.