Vikram Solar announces long-duration PV reliability test results
Tests by U.S.-based PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) show that monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon PV modules produced by India’s Vikram Solar met and exceeded international quality and performance benchmarks.
Organic PV all at sea thanks to new observations
Scientists seeking the next generation of highly efficient PV devices have found inspiration in nature. Researchers from the U.K.’s University of Birmingham and the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, examined the light harvesting mechanisms in ocean microalgae that are said to be up to 95% efficient.
UK researchers seek to use perovskite solar cells for hydrogen production
A research team has applied a waterproof coating obtained from graphite to a perovskite cell intended to power the production of hydrogen underwater. The cell is said to have worked underwater longer than expected.
UK scientists build new 3D solar architecture
The back-contact solar cell is said to have a conversion efficiency of around 7%. According to researchers, the cell design includes the removal of expensive transparent conductive oxides.
Longi claims new record for bifacial half-cut module as production equipment orders pour in
The Chinese monocrystalline panel maker said its 72-cell bifacial product has reached an ouput of more than 450 W on the front side. The result was confirmed by Germany’s TÜV-SÜD.
Indian engineering giant Bharat Heavy Electricals to work on e-mobility
Government-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals and the Automotive Research Association of India will combine their respective strengths in technology development and testing and certification to work on electric and trolley buses, EV chargers and battery and charger testing.
Scientists concentrate on efficient hydrogen production
Researchers from the Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have developed a device which they say could “provide a pathway for device scalability aimed towards the large scale deployment of photo-electrochemical hydrogen production”.
Q-Cells unveils new half-cell monocrystalline panel
According to the Korean manufacturer, its Q.Peak Duo-G6 module is produced with larger wafers than those used in the G5. This is said to increase module yield by around 6% for a power output ranging from 355-420 W.
Enhancing perovskite cell performance with coffee
A U.S.-Chinese research team has discovered that carbonyl groups in caffeine can increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells from 17% to 20%. The peculiar molecular structure of caffeine is said to be a good match for the precursors of perovskite material compounds.
California is learning to trust 100% residential solar power
California utility PG&E has tested levels of residential solar power up to 100% penetration, and how to mitigate the effects of voltage and thermal overload via smart inverters and traditional transformer and circuit upgrades — with smart inverters shown to allow for up to 100% penetration at cost-effective pricing.
