Technology and R&D

Scientists at Rice University in the U.S. have conducted experiments with lithium-ion batteries using silicon as an anode material and made an unexpected discovery regarding an aluminum oxide passivation layer at the cathode. The finding could open up a new pathway toward better performing lithium-ion batteries.

Australian researchers have unveiled hydrogenation technology to reduce light and elevated temperature-induced degradation in Czochralski silicon PERC solar cells. The developers say the process can minimize degradation without sacrificing performance in cells and modules.

The efficiency of the cell, made with a standard M2 wafer, was raised around 0.7% by using an improved busbar-free screen printing metallization process based on heterojunction processes developed with manufacturing equipment provided by Swiss specialist Meyer Burger.

The English company says its modular solutions are due to undergo flight testing in the U.S. and are ‘three to five years’ from commercial production for aircraft.

The proposed model is said to perform better at energy prediction than software tools such as PVWatts, PVSyst or RetScreen. The approach was validated on two 5 MW PV plants in the same district of the Indian state of Rajasthan.

State-owned Energy Efficiency Services and New Delhi-based Bharat Heavy Electricals have agreed to set up public charging stations for electric vehicles on highways across India.

In 2020, perovskite cells could pass the IEC tests intended for the standardization of solar modules, and in 2022, they could even be mass-produced. In an interview with pv magazine, Tom Aernouts explains the status of work on the new PV technology. He is a research and development manager for thin film photovoltaics at the Belgian research institute Imec.

Scientists at the University of Southern Denmark working with sodium-ion batteries found that a new electrode material incorporating iron, manganese and phosphorous could increase both the power and capacity of the batteries.

Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin have taken back the world efficiency record for a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell, achieving 29.15% with a device measuring 1cm². The record has been confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE, and according to HZB, this means that the 30% efficiency mark is within reach.

A new paper published in Nature claims that scientists have reached a consensus on the procedures for the testing of perovskite cells, which they say will lead to better reproducibility and comparability of data produced by different laboratories, and ultimately a better understanding of the degradation pathways affecting perovskite solar cells, and the most effective ways to mitigate them.