Technology and R&D

Dansk Solenergi ApS has developed a 13.6 kg tile that can be used for both new buildings and building renovation. The device is currently being produced in Denmark, where the company operates a 40 MW line.

A Swiss-Canadian consortium is developing a novel process to produce green hydrogen. Furthermore, Italy’s Snam is cooperating with IRENA and a French consortium wants to deploy high-end hydrogen storage systems for the railway sector.

Closed-loop pumped-hydro storage offers more chances to minimize environmental effects on water sources and overcomes the problem of finding suitable sites. According to an Australian research team, closed-loop systems could prevail on open-loop systems in the future and this trend is confirmed by another group of scientists from the United States.

Scientists in Germany developed a method to determine the structure and degradation of module backsheets and encapsulants in the field, by analyzing the material’s near infrared light transmission. Applying the theory to a multi-MW PV plant, the group was able to identify four different backsheet types. With further development, the method could be a valuable tool to monitor module degradation in the field and spot faults early on.

The Italian power electronics specialist has launched a single-phase inverter, a three-phase device, and a residential battery. The three products will be available for sale starting from January.

Mondragon Assembly’s continuous string process technique is purportedly 10% more productive than a standard stringing machine.

JA Solar published data comparing its own modules, based on the 182mm wafer format, with others utilizing the larger 210mm size over a six month period in field testing. The data show that the smaller of the two formats reached an average daily energy yield almost 2% higher. According to JA Solar’s analysis, the higher currents produced by the 210mm modules led to higher resistance, and more energy lost as heat.

The module is available with wattages of 230-245 W and can reach an efficiency of up to 13.45%. The panel is part of a new series of colored products that includes silver and orange modules.

The PPA was awarded by French utility EDF. The facility relies on a 55 MW solar unit, a 16 MW electrolyzer, storage tanks and 3 MW of fuel cells.

The propane-cooled 3.5 kW heat pump can be installed on both existing buildings and all-electric new buildings. It features a seasonal performance factor of 5.6 and is claimed to enable up to 80% of gas savings on heating and domestic hot water production.