Technology and R&D

Hail damage remains a top risk to large-scale solar assets, according to an annual report from kWh Analytics.

Grid companies LEW Verteilnetz and Bayernwerk have launched a pilot project to feed renewable energy into the electricity network in a more grid-friendly manner. One of the energy storage sites to be used in the project will come from Green Flexibility.

Scientists have used photovoltaic charge lithography to imprint surface charges on passive dielectric substrates by shining a halogen lamp onto iron-doped lithium niobate. The technique may support next-generation microfluidic, biomedical, and chemical applications.

New research from Hong Kong confirms that rooftop PV systems significantly contribute raise daytime temperatures in urban environments. The scientists explained that, although their findings highlight important urban resilience considerations, they should not detract from the broader benefits of PV systems for energy sustainability and carbon reduction.

Researchers have designed a novel multigeneration energy system that provides five outputs, namely electricity, hydrogen, cooling, heating, and hot water. The system is mainly powered by a solar heliostat system and incorporates compressed air and pumped hydro storage technologies for storing surplus power.

Liquid insulation is one of the ways of ensuring transformers – which convert electric power from high voltages to lower voltages – remain safe. Mineral oil, however, has been the main insulating liquid in industrial power systems to date and sustanaible alternatives are strongly needed.

An international team of researchers used a novel interfacial treatment to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells across a range of narrow and wide bandgap single junction, tandem, and mini-module samples. An all-perovskite tandem solar cell demonstrated its use with a certified efficiency of 29.5%.

Qcells says its new EcoRecycle facility in the US state of Georgia will remove aluminum, glass, silver and copper from used solar modules and process them for re-use.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have developed a hydrogel composite that absorbs moisture in solar modules overnight and facilitates evaporative cooling throughout daylight hours. The system has undergone lab tests and outdoor experiments on two continents.

Researchers in Germany have modeled dozens of indirect-expansion solar-assisted heat pump systems using photovoltaic-thermal panels for single-family homes in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg. Simulations accounted for local weather, electricity use, and thermal demand.