Module brands that earn the trust of solar installers
The latest global PV installer survey by Germany’s EUPD Research offers a hint of the solar brands which installers, mostly based in Europe, gravitate toward. This year’s report also ventured to South Africa and considered mounting systems for the first time.
The Hydrogen Stream: Acid-treated cells produce about 200% more hydrogen
US scientists have improved the performance of intermediate-temperature electrolyzers based on protonic ceramic electrochemical cells. Germany and India have signed a hydrogen cooperation deal, while ArcelorMittal has tested the use of green hydrogen in the production of direct reduced iron at a steel plant in Canada.
Germany deployed 916 MW of solar in March
Germany’s cumulative installed PV capacity for all subsidized and unsubsidized PV systems stood at around 58.2 GW by the end of March.
Titanium oxide nanoparticle-based perovskite PV cell with 24.05% efficiency
A new perovskite PV cell based on titanium dioxide nanoparticles exhibits low efficiency losses when scaled up from cell to module.
Tesvolt unveils new battery line for commercial, industrial applications
Tesvolt’s new E Series includes the TS-I HV 80 battery and the TS-I HV 100 battery, with storage capacities of 80 kWh and 90 kWh, respectively. Both of the devices have efficiencies of up to 98%.
Meyer Burger to increase module, cell capacity in Germany
Swiss PV module manufacturer Meyer Burger has decided to achieve its capacity expansion targets by focusing on its German factories, in reaction to ongoing global logistics problems and supply chain issues.
New PV water heater from Germany
German startup Nexol has developed a photovoltaic water heating system that relies on a smart controller, with either DC and AC power. It decides autonomously if grid electricity or PV is used, with the latter always preferred.
Electron blocking for 18.5%-efficient carbon-electrode perovskite solar cell
Scientists in Germany and Switzerland have developed a perovskite solar cell with a carbon electrode that achieved 18.5% efficiency. It also retained 82% of this after 500 hours of continuous illumination. While a long way behind what has been achieved with other perovskite solar devices, the cell is produced via all low-temperature processes that could likely be scaled into low-cost, large-scale manufacturing – making the approach one worth pursuing further.
Wacker falls to fourth in global polysilicon ranking
The German company’s decision to cede market share to Chinese companies producing the material for solar panels, in order to focus on semiconductor-ready, electronic grade product, has seen it slip behind its rivals in terms of production scale.
District heating via solar-powered heat pump using industrial waste heat
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems is assessing how a solar-powered heat pump system that uses waste heat from a distillery at a low-temperature level could be used to provide district heating. Waste heat is injected into an ice storage tank, to which heat pumps are connected on the source side.
