Cadmium telluride solar cells for space applications, BIPV, unmanned aircraft
U.K. researchers have developed a flexible thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cell for use in ultra-thin glass for space applications.
France allocates 29 MW in PV tender for non-interconnected areas
Akuo, Amarenco and Voltalia secured the largest amount of capacity in the procurement exercise.
‘Hydrogen as a universal climate solution might be a bit of false promise’
Hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels will not be able to move forward fast enough to replace fossil fuels and tackle climate change, according to a German-Swiss research team that claims direct electrification alternatives are cheaper and easier to implement. The scientists cite too-high prices, short-term scarcity and long-term uncertainty, as the main reasons for their skepticism.
EU finances 100 MW solar plant in Uzbekistan
French energy company Total is developing the solar field near Samarkand, which will sell power to National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
Organic solar for optical wireless data receivers
Researchers in the United Kingdom have built a 14%-efficient organic PV device that can be used in high-speed optical wireless communication systems. The cell consists of a 4×2.5mm photoactive layer fabricated with a bulk heterojunction of a polymer donor and fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors.
New stack design for cheaper redox flow batteries
German scientists have proposed a new design for stacks used in redox flow batteries. Through a powder-to-roll process, a device that weighs 80% less than a conventional stack was fabricated.
New electrolyte boosts lithium-air batteries
Scientists in the UK reported a breakthrough in lithium-oxygen batteries, achieved by experimenting with different electrolyte compositions. Working with ionic liquids, they were able to tweak the electrolyte recipe to minimize unwanted reactions during battery cycling, and greatly improve on both performance and stability.
Italy could double PV capacity by 2025, says PI Berlin
International investments in large-scale solar plants, combined with repowering and current support schemes, could trigger a PV boom in Italy, says Germany-based technical advisor PI Berlin.
Arkolia pairs biogas with self-consumption PV plant
Arkolia has coupled a biogas purification plant in France with a 100 kW rooftop solar array.
Semitransparent selenium solar cell for applications in tandem devices
The bifacial device showed a power conversion efficiency of 5.2% on the front side through an n-type contact and 2.7% on the rear side through a p-type contact.
