Technology and R&D

Graphite Energy, a thermal storage company, is building a facility in Australia to demonstrate how renewable energy and agriculture can co-exist through agrivoltaic and greenhouse systems.

Large-scale reconductoring of existing transmission lines could cost-effectively double transmission capacity within existing rights-of-way, a study says. Renewable energy projects near reconductored transmission lines could more easily interconnect.

Weiheng Ecactus has unveiled its new Tianwu battery system, with 233 kWh of capacity and 100 kW of output, giving users the flexibility to connect up to 10 units in parallel.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in November, weather patterns have started to resemble the characteristic El Niño signature, with low pressure in the northwest Pacific, and an enhanced subtropical jet stream spreading from the Pacific across the southern United States.

Human Geographer Thilo Wiertz speaks to pv magazine on the particular features that characterized the trajectory of renewable energies after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. He emphasized how the geopolitical tensions arising from this conflict have reshaped the political debate about the energy transition, with the energy security perspective gaining in importance.

Scientists in Korea have proposed a simple methodolgy to tranform existing PV systems into photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) arrays. They claim the new design offers a cheaper alternative to expensive PVT systems, while enabling easier and faster deployment.

The Antecursor II robot autonomously inspects upper and lower solar panel structures for thermal anomalies, with more than 30 hours of autonomy.

Developed by scientists from the UK and Spain, the new model uses high spatiotemporal resolution weather data and data from heat pump field trials. It finds “significant regional differences” compared to a British nation-wide estimation.

Extreme weather is a growing risk to solar farms. Future-proofing through advanced technologies, leveraging data from novel sources, and accepting risk is vital, but rarely achieved today for a number of reasons. Insurers, lenders, developers, contractors and manufacturers recently came together in Melbourne, Australia, to discuss solutions to the intractable problem of weather risk.

Mito Solar, a Dutch developer of lightweight PV modules, has developed a laminate film to boost the power generation capacity of specialty solar panels, such as those installed on solar racing cars and boats. The company claims the film may improve a module’s power conversion efficiency by up to 1%.