Euro solar is Surfacing
M10 Solar Equipment, a German joint venture, may have shown Europe’s solar manufacturers how to scale their gigafactories by using Siemens’ plant simulation software to ramp up production of its innovative shingled-matrix solar cell production equipment, explains Tobias Wachtmann, director of global glass and solar for Siemens.
Germany, Netherlands and Sweden have lowest cost of capital for utility scale PV
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released new data on the cost of capital for solar PV, onshore and offshore wind in the period between 2020 and 2021. Results show that Germany and the Netherlands have the lowest cost of capital in Europe at 2.2%, while the United States, China, India, and Australia show values of 5.4%, 3.9%, 7.1%, and 4.6%, respectively.
Construction begins on solar cycling path in Netherlands
The Dutch province of North Brabant will deploy a 500-meter-long solar bike line and test its performance over a 5-year period. The PV system will be integrated into the asphalt top layer and will consist of 600 solar panels of an unspecified type.
Solar module cooling tech based on nanofluid jets
The system consists of a double jet of nanofluid in a 2D channel placed below a heating plate that adheres to the photovoltaic panel. It uses water mixed with copper nanoparticles as a nanofluid.
First attempt to build UV-stable perovskite solar cells that harvest energy from ‘black lights’
A UK research group has fabricated perovskite solar cells that can harvest energy from near-ultraviolet (UV-A) indoor LED lights. The devices achieved an efficiency of 26.19%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.90V, a short-circuit current of 1.42 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 77.56%, resulting in a maximum power output of 991.21 μW/cm2.
Plug and play PV promises savings
China’s DAH Solar has added a specially designed microinverter to its Full-screen module, making the ‘SolarUnit’ a formidable offering for the rooftop PV segment. DAH Solar President Shenheng Xie took pv magazine through some of the system’s key features and the advantages they promise once installed.
EnerVenue completes metal-hydrogen battery safety testing
Unlike lithium-ion battery cells, EnerVenue’s nickel metal-hydrogen technology showed no fire propagation during induced thermal runaway in UL battery safety testing.
Australia’s cumulative installed PV capacity tops 29.7 GW
The International Energy Agency expects Australia’s “outstanding” economic fundamentals for residential and commercial rooftop solar will see the sector stabilize in 2023 after a new report revealed the PV market contracted in 2022, when the country added 4 GW of installed solar power.
SunPower secures $550 million loan purchase commitment
Private equity firm KKR committed to purchasing loans made to SunPower customers.
Toyota uses Kaneka’s 26.63%-efficient solar cells for electric vehicle
Kaneka said the cells will be utilized in the roof glass of Toyota’s Prius PHEV electric car. It plans to begin full-scale delivery of in-vehicle PV products this year.
