Technology and R&D

The Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Institute for Materials and Components in Electronics at the University of Hannover, as well as Centrotherm, Singulus, Meyer Burger and Von Ardenne are involved in a research project aimed at achieving a 27% conversion efficiency for silicon solar cells based on perovskite.

Scientists in Australia took a close look at the long-term performance of passivation layers in silicon solar cells, and discovered a surprising process of degradation and regeneration at work within the material. The results could have implications on the processes used in industrial scale solar cell production.

Researchers from the United States have used new passivated contact architectures to demonstrate a screen-printed silicon heterojunction solar cell on 40 micron thick standalone wafers.

Scientists in Canada have discovered a promising technique for the production of gallium-arsenide solar cells. Growing these cells directly onto a silicon substrate is a promising strategy that could cut out some of the technology’s exorbitant production costs. And by making that silicon porous, scientists may have taken a step toward producing high-performance III-V solar cells at a significantly lower cost.

A South Korean research team has claimed that transparent PV technologies need to improve in terms of efficiency, stability and aesthetics before they can reach commercial maturity.

Researchers claim to have developed a cheaper, faster method of assembling the field flow plate layers of the membrane electrode assembly used in vanadium redox flow batteries, which they claim outperforms traditional components.

Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the U.S. have defined a utility-ownership model for rooftop PV they say could raise power company shareholder earnings 2-5%.

A lack of standardized protocols is preventing rechargeable zinc metal batteries from complementing lithium-ion storage tech. A U.S. research team is now calling for standardized protocols for columbic efficiencies and greater zinc/electrolyte stability to make the technology viable.

The latest products in the Vertex series from the Chinese manufacturer, unveiled at the SNEC PV Power Expo in Shanghai, are available in six versions with reported efficiency ranging from 20.4-21.2%.

A report from Wood Mackenzie predicts lithium-iron-phosphate will overtake lithium-manganese-cobalt-oxide as the dominant stationary energy storage chemistry within the decade.