Technology and R&D

The cell was built with a phosphorus-doped n-type Czochralski (Cz) silicon wafer with a resistivity of 1.09Ωcm and a thickness of 170mm. Ti/Au/Ag metal stacks were used for the contact with the hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layers.

Slovenian solar module manufacturer Bisol has developed a white panel with a power output of 190 W. The product is claimed to be an ideal solution for seamlessly blending with large surface buildings and maintaining their historic character.

According to a new study from the LUT University, hybrid wind-solar plants offer the ideal profile to reduce the costs of green ammonia. Although natural gas will be able to provide lower prices over this and the next decade, beyond 2040 ammonia generated by wind and solar may reach a price of between €300 and €330 per ton.

German scientists have outlined a model to combine hydrogen storage with conventional battery storage in high-efficient energy buildings powered uniquely by photovoltaics. In the proposed configuration, the DC power of the PV system is connected directly to the hybrid hydrogen system, a lithium-ion battery, an electric water heater, and an inverter, which in turn would provide AC current to the household and a heat pump.

Using Department of Energy laboratories, scientists learned at the atomic level that a liquid-like motion in perovskites may explain how they efficiently produce electric currents.

Engie Green has joined forces with the associations France Nature Environnement and Apicluster to install beehives at several of its solar PV parks in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur region, in southern France.

Spanish PV project developer Gransolar is planning to build a large-scale green hydrogen production plant in the Port of Almería, in southern Spain.

A report from Fraunhofer ISE reveals that the share of PV systems with southern orientation has decreased from 61% in 2000 to 42% in 2019. It also highlights that solar rooftop installations with a tilted angle lower than 20 degrees have increased from just 5% in 2000 to 24% in 2019.

A prototype of a cement-based battery has been developed in Sweden for potential applications in buildings. Its creators claim it could become a solution to store electricity from rooftop PV and they do not exclude that it could also be used for the storage of large-scale renewables.

A Greek consortium is also planning to invest €8 billion in the domestic production of hydrogen and the French city of Dijon is launching a €100 million euro green hydrogen project to reduce the CO2 emissions of the territory’s public transport starting in 2023.