Japan

Scientists in Japan have developed a novel metal-organic, framework-based magnesium ion conductor with superionic conductivity, even at room temperature.

Japanese scientists have built a chalcopyrite PV device for tandem solar cells and water splitting for hydrogen generation. The device has a power conversion efficiency of 11.05%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.960 V, a short-circuit current density of 15.9 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 72.4%.

The system is reportedly able to refill about eight hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, each in three minutes. It is also able to supply electric power by using hydrogen produced with renewable energy within the station.

Both the battery and the PV system are due to begin commercial operations in 2024.

In other news, Toyota unveiled plans to roll out light-duty hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for the Japanese market next year and the UK has launched a contract for difference scheme for large scale hydrogen projects. Furthermore, Japanese scientists have designed a ruthenium complex with a nitrogen-containing organic compound to improve high-temperature proton conduction in fuel cells.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) developed a two-phase hydrogen production technology that is capable of using steam to produce hydrogen from biomass. Furthermore, an Indian-Norwegian consortium is developing green ammonia in Oman, Toshiba is starting research on hydrogen production from geothermal energy, and Thyssengas is selecting personnel for the conversion of around 20% of its gas network.

The average global price of solar kilowatt-hours fell 13% on 2020’s prices, as around two-thirds of the renewables capacity installed last year was cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternative.

Japanese scientists have developed a tandem device with a 19.5%-efficient perovskite top cell. They claim to have created a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell while maintaining high performance.

Japanese scientists built a near-invisible solar cell based on indium tin oxide (ITO) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) as a transparent electrode and a photoactive layer, respectively. The cell has the potential to achieve a transparency of 79%.

Mitsubishi Electric’s new 2.0kV LV100 semiconductor device is based on its insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology and Relaxed Field of Cathode (RFC) diodes. It is designed for industrial applications that need “middle-ground” power converters between DC1500 V and 3.3 kV.