Technology and R&D

Scientists in the United States theorized that a new allotrope of silicon – the same element arranged into a different atomic structure – could show greatly improved photovoltaic performance compared to that used in today’s solar cells. The allotrope, Si22, could also have important properties for use in quantum computing, carbon sequestration and other applications – though fabrication and actual physical testing of the material will be needed to back up the theoretical findings presented so far.

An Indian research group has used three different chemicals instead of commonly used hydrofluoric acid to separate silicon from the cell. The technique is claimed to be able to deliver recycled silicon with a purity of up to 99.9984%.

The Indian authorities have opened global bids to set up advanced-chemistry battery cell manufacturing units in India under the production-linked incentive scheme. Applications are open until Dec. 31, but bidders must commit to setting up a minimum of 5 GWh of capacity to qualify for the government subsidy.

A growing share of residential solar projects now attach energy storage batteries. In part one of this new series, we consider the backup power feature of batteries.

The result was confirmed, once again, by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH).

The new product has a power conversion efficiency of up to 19.3% and a weight of 11.2 kg. The module is produced with glass fiber reinforced plastic, which the manufacturer says reduces light reflection and opens up new assembly options.

The 240 kW facility was built with the support of German mounting system provider Next2Sun.

Israel-based Augwind has built its first 250 kW/1 MWh compressed air storage system for the collective community of Yahel, in the southern, desert part of the country. The commercial scale facility will be connected to a PV system and will be used for behind-the-meter services.

The solar cell was built on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate coated with titanium dioxide, an electron selective layer made of mesoporous titanium dioxide, a zirconium dioxide insulating spacer layer, and a graphite electrode. A mini-module fabricated with this cell passed, for the first time, a hotspot test.

From pv magazine Australia Lumea, the commercial arm of AustralianMega transmission network operator TransGrid, said commissioning of the $61.9 million Wallgrove Grid Battery has begun after it achieved registration with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) earlier this week. The 50 MW/75 MWh lithium-ion battery has been installed adjacent to Transgrid’s Wallgrove substation in Western […]