Watch: Robots install solar project in Arizona desert
In its first commercial project, Terabase Energy successfully installed 17 MW of a 225 MW solar facility with its automated Terafab platform.
‘Cool roofs’ increase power yield in bifacial rooftop PV systems
A Spanish-Algerian reserch group has tested how “cool roofs” could help increase power yield in rootop bifacial PV systems. Cool roofs are based on coating materials with high reflectance properties.
Sweden’s Epishine expands indoor PV module manufacturing capacity
Epishine, an organic PV module manufacturer, has completed a new factory in Linköping, Sweden. The facility uses roll-to-roll equipment to produce new products for low-power battery replacement and the self-powered electronics market.
Kesterite solar cell achieves 12.01% efficiency via selenization approach
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has used a new selenization approach to build a kesterite solar cell with better charge transport and power conversion efficiency. China’s National PV Industry Metrology and Testing Center (NPVM) has certified the results.
PV-driven microgrid for hydrogen, cooling
The University of French Polynesia has built a PV-driven hydrogen generation unit that combines a hydrogen chain with a thermochemical unit. The latter is used to recover waste heat from the electrolyzer and fuel cell to enable deferred cooling production for air conditioning.
Laser-sharp focus on interconnections
As the world’s solar manufacturers continue to ramp up production at an eye-watering speed, a cell connection technique up to 10 times faster than the industry standard holds rich promise, according to Keven Tremblay, from Canadian laser process specialist Laserax.
Agrivoltaic system achieves 9.9% efficiency, LCOE of $0.033/kWh
Researchers in China have built a prototype of a spectral-splitting concentrator agrivoltaic system (SCAPV) with a PV efficiency of 9.9, a hybrid light-use efficiency rating of 9.05%, and a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.033/kWh.
New MPPT approach for multi-string PV systems under partial shading
Egyptian researchers have developed a multi-string PV system with a converter control strategy, achieving 99.81% efficiency with a direct duty cycle for maximum power point tracking (MPPT).
Residential PV for urban loads as an antidote to solar curtailment
Researchers in the Netherlands have proposed the use of residential PV capacity to supply electricity to urban loads such as tram substations and dwellings, potentially reducing PV curtailment and demand for additional storage.
European consortium targets 25% CIGS solar cell efficiency
A consortium of European thin-film PV manufacturers and research institutes are working to advance copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) solar development in a €5.9 million ($6.4 million) project. It aims to achieve 25% cell power conversion efficiency by improving manufacturing processes and scaling up from lab-sized bifacial devices to small outdoor-tested modules for a range of applications.
