Technology and R&D

Dutch startup Solar Visuals and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have developed new “mimic design” facade modules that reproduce the features of building surfaces. Lenneke Slooff-Hoek, a senior scientist for TNO, told pv magazine that the panels can be made in any size or color at 13% efficiency, adding that they have a partly transparent colored layer made of small dots.

In a show of support for scientists around the world who are downing tools today in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, pv magazine will be pausing our usual coverage of developments from the world of science and academia.

Span’s ambition is to “transform the electrical panel into an intelligent gateway” and expand the adoption of solar and electric vehicles, as well as storage systems like Panasonic’s residential battery.

Scientists at Thailand’s Mahidol University have developed a new spray coating process which they say could be used in the production of stable multi-layered perovskite solar cells in a variety of colors and transparencies.

Norwegian consultancy DNV GL has gathered together big energy players, floating PV specialists and project developers into a consortium that will aim to define recommended practices for the floating solar business. Among the 14 participants are some big players in the field including EDP, EDF and Equinor, as well as French floating technology provider Ciel & Terre.

An Ieefa report has suggested the cost of generating electricity from solar will be near zero in the world’s sunniest regions by 2030-40 – despite what the naysayers at the International Energy Agency might think.

A Pakistani research team has assessed the performance of a passive heat sink cooling technique in two different configurations: one using rectangular fins and one based on circular fins. The rectangular configuration was the best in terms of heat rejection. Modules mounted with this solution had a 6 C lower temperature than modules without cooling systems.

The German conglomerate’s electrolyzers boast efficiency levels of up to 80%. The modular devices can be connected to form plants of almost any size.

Dubai-based Weco has unveiled a new lithium battery solution that can operate in parallel as a low-voltage storage system or in series as a high-voltage battery with no hardware changes. The batteries can be mounted on walls or set up in a stack configuration.

Scientists at Moscow’s Skoltech Center for Energy Science and Technology have developed a method of visualizing the formation of layers on battery electrodes during their initial operation. The observations reveal various mechanisms that could be optimized to improve battery performance and operational lifetime.