Technology and R&D

The adoption of new technology is required to grow and maintain PV’s place in the energy transition. Thankfully, the rate of change within PV technology is accelerating, pointing to a bright future. But what quality risks are emerging from these new technologies? And how can they be managed? Watch the first of four videos from our pv magazine Roundtables Europe event to find out.

Norwegian researchers have conducted a study to assess the technical feasibility of solar parks in polar regions. They found out that snowdrifts may be a major issue but they also believe that snow accumulation can be reduced through snow fences and proper system design.

Swiss manufacturer Leclanché will build the new battery modules at its manufacturing facility in Yverdon-Les-Bains. These products can be used for transport applications such as marine, commercial vehicle, and railway.

Ruchi Gupta is a research fellow at the University of Geneva’s Institute for Environmental Sciences. She focuses on how flexibility options, such as sector coupling with hydrogen production, can support renewable energy integration and decarbonize a wide range of sectors.

A bridge crossing the Pò river in San Mauro Torinese, in northern Italy, is set to host a 300m long PV system designed to rely on special mounting structures and full-black modules. The local administration said the bridge was chosen as the rooftops and surfaces available are all located in landscape protection areas adjacent to the town’s most important historic building.

Saudi scientists built the cell’s electrode with a hole-transporting molecule called Br-2PACz and not with the commonly used PEDOT:PSS. It helped improve the photovoltaic cell efficiency by around 0.9%.

NanoGra’s silicon-oxide anode material can increase battery capacity in the 18650 form factor by an initial 12% at commercially competitive prices.

Long distance, point-to-point transport of green hydrogen for industrial use can harness the cheap solar electricity available in some parts of the world but distributing the energy-storage gas to individual refueling stations, for vehicle fuel cell use, will likely have to depend on production nearby.

An international research team has designed a residential solar-plus-storage system based on gravity. The system was built with a solar power generator, a bulk booster charge controller, an inverter, a solenoid device, a deep cycle battery, a pulley block, a geared motor, a microcontroller, and wire ropes. Its creators said the system is ideal for regions with high solar radiation. They found that, due to its high electrical requirements, the system needs to rely on high-power solar modules with an output of over 500 W.

A new project offers a design and validation framework for renewables-based microgrid configurations that deliver electric vehicle fast charging, energy security, and value-added grid services.