New portable system uses PV to produce drinkable water from air moisture
UK scientists have developed Solar2Water, a system that generates twice the amount of water as conventional atmospheric water generators. The system operates efficiently with the same energy input, regardless of air humidity, relying solely on photovoltaics.
PV-powered offgrid air conditioner for building applications
A British research team has investigated the technical feasibility of an air conditioning unit powered exclusively by solar-plus-storage and has found that two 130 Ah batteries charged by two 400 W solar panels are capable of supporting the system during the night.
Survey shows UK heat pump owners satisfied with performance in old homes
A survey of more than 2,500 residential heat pump owners and 1,000 gas boilers owners in the United Kingdom shows that 83% of respondents are as satisfied or more satisfied with heat pumps than their previous heating systems in homes built before 1900.
Improving ground-mounted solar power plant performance via orbiting reflectors
Scientists in the United Kingdom have proposed using orbiting solar reflectors to enhance the electricity yield of terrestrial solar power plants. They claim this new technology may be particularly beneficial for improving generation at dusk and dawn, when irradiance is lower.
UK plans to slash VAT on residential batteries
The UK cabinet plans to introduce a new measure to eliminate the value-added tax (VAT) on residential batteries installed after solar panels.
Oxford PV sets 28.6% efficiency record for full-size tandem cell
Oxford PV, a leading perovskite solar pv company with operations in England and Germany, achieved power conversion efficiency of 28.6% for a two-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem cell measuring 258.15 cm² cell: A world record for a device based on a ‘full size’ silicon wafer. The record was certified by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE).
The Hydrogen Stream: Green hydrogen market could hit $850 billion in 2050
Research outfit Rethink Energy says the green hydrogen market could reach $850 billion in value by 2050.
Ideal unveils monobloc heat pump for residential applications
UK-based Ideal Heating has developed an air-source heat pump for the UK residential market. It is available in two versions with a heating output of 8.2 kW or 10.3 kW and uses R32 as the refrigerant. It says the heat pump can be paired with rooftop solar to maximize self-consumption.
UK solar systems to be 50% cheaper by 2035, say UK researchers
University of Surrey researchers say that by 2035, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for small projects and utility-scale PV systems could decrease to GBP 149 ($187)/MWh and GBP 51/MWh, respectively.
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.
