Growing interest for PV arrays with eastern and western orientation in Germany
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.
Concrete battery for applications in buildings, rooftop PV
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.
The Hydrogen Stream: Ørsted kicks off first project, ArcelorMittal moves towards blue hydrogen
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.
Water quality untouched by floating PV
Baywa re and Dutch researchers have evaluated the first positive effects of floating PV on the flora and fauna in water. They have also ascertained that the erosion of a lake’s banks has decreased.
Hanwha Q Cells announces n-type module with passivating contacts
Production on the new module, called Q.Tron, is expected to begin this year. The product is described as an evolution of the company’s Q.antum cell technology.
Microquanta claims 20.2% efficiency on small perovskite module
The result, confirmed and certified by the China Institute of Metrology, amounts to the sixth conversion efficiency landmark achieved by the six-year-old, Hangzhou-based manufacturer.
Compressed air tech for solar module cleaning, cooling
British scientists have developed an experimental compressed air system for the simultaneous cleaning and cooling of PV modules. The system was built with a compressed-air unit which was made of a compressor, an air tank, and an airflow regulation valve, and a series of nozzles. The technique was tested on a PV system located in northwestern India.
Thermodynamic model to build more-stable perovskite solar cells
Dutch scientists claim to have developed a theory that explains the mechanisms behind halide segregation, which is the main factor affecting thermal stability in perovskite solar cells. They affirmed that the theory may provide technical solutions to build more stable perovskite PV devices.
How will you know it’s green hydrogen?
Australia’s Smart Energy Council says that its new verification scheme for green hydrogen is gaining international traction.
Solar 101: What’s my solar system going to cost?
Think of your solar system as a custom retrofit. That means the list of unique variables and components can be long, and hardware requirements may result in significant pricing differences.
