Technology and R&D

Researchers in China conceived a new PV forecasting approach that integrates causal convolution, recurrent structures, attention mechanisms, and the Kolmogorov–Arnold Network (KAN). Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms 10 existing forecasting models.

An international research team has observed a significant increase in series resistance in LECO-treated TOPCon solar cells after temperature and bias treatment. The scientists said they now need to conduct further investigations into its impact on cell efficiency, reliability, and bankability.

Researchers at University of Toledo produced antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) thin film solar cells with 7.69% power conversion efficiency after determining optimal hydrothermal deposition, post annealing, and light soaking conditions. Stability tests showed more than 95% of initial efficiency after ten months.

Chinese inverter maker Solavita says its new hybrid inverter series offers high PV oversizing, multi-port battery integration, and grid-smart controls to meet growing demand for scalable solar-plus-storage in commercial and industrial (C&I), and large residential markets.

The new FS5 v2 Spectrofluorometer is available as a benchtop system for fluorescence spectroscopy.

The system is described by its creators as a cost-effective solution for water heating by storing thermal energy in fine sand. Techno-economic analysis indicated the system is economically viable for domestic water heating applications, with an initial capital cost of $278 and an expected lifespan of 25 years.

Researchers in Spain have developed a new method to estimated potential-induced degradation (PID) in solar modules used in PV-driven water pumping systems. The proposed approach can detect PID from the open-circuit voltage measurement of the system’s PV module strings.

Scientists have analyzed how forced convection PV, free convection with finned plate PV, and forced convection with finned plate PV can reduce solar module temperatures under the climate conditions of Lebanon.

Denmark’s largest energy community is now under construction, featuring more than 30,000 sqm of solar rooftops with a total capacity of about 4 MW. The project will use building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) on pitched roofs and building-attached photovoltaics (BAPV) on flat roofs from Danish specialist Solartag.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has conducted new research on the impact of floating PV and water temperature and evaporation.