Technology and R&D

Elsewhere, Air Products is planning to build a 2 GW electrolysis plant in Saudi Arabia and Protium is deploying its first 100 kW electrolyzer in the U.K.

The 5.5%-efficient cell was fabricated through a low-temperature, two-step manufacturing process that is compatible with existing window glass manufacturing technology. Cells made with 70nm antimony trisulfide films achieved the best fill factor of around 57%, while the highest power conversion efficiencies were achieved with films ranging from 70 to 100nm.

A U.S.-Israeli consortium is developing synchroinverters – inverters that mimic a synchronous generator and are able to actively respond to the grid’s frequency changes while stabilizing the voltage. The new devices are expected to do this simultaneously and provide grid stability services in less than 16.67 milliseconds.

As solar and storage technologies are deployed on the U.S. grid in record numbers, there’s no time like the present to take steps to prevent solar and storage from cyberattacks.

Dutch researchers have used optic colored filters to make building-integrated PV products more suitable for urban environments with cultural heritage value. They discovered that the filters do not affect a cell’s open-circuit voltage and fill factor, but only the short-circuit current.

New research from Germany outlines mechanisms behind a form of potential-induced degradation specifically affecting the rear side of bifacial solar cells. Results suggest that the issue may be more complex than previously thought; and avoiding irreversible damage to cells in the field will require a rethink of testing standards.

Conceived by French solar company Mecojit, the solar carport solution can be deployed without excavation work and can be coupled with EV recharging stations.

French energy company Compagnie Nationale du Rhône is considering deploying vertical PV installations along 400 km of its dikes. A first 104 kW project was deployed at the Sablons dike, in the Isere department.

Dany Qian, Vice President of Chinese PV manufacturer JinkoSolar speaks to pv magazine about the 2021 solar market and what’s in store for 2022, including capacity ramp-ups, the replacement of aluminum PV module frames, and a focus on n-type technology, despite continued supply chain challenges.

The Japanese authorities have released new guidelines for the development of agrivoltaics projects and have excluded installations that do not host crops or livestock in the planning phase. Analyst Takeshi Magami says that agrivoltaics can be developed under the feed-in tariff scheme, in the free market via PPAs, or through a rebate scheme covering 50% of initial investments.