Optical microscopy technique to study prevention of battery failure
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have examined one of the fastest-charging anode materials by using a low-cost, lab-based optical microscopy technique. Their findings showed that particle fracture, which can reduce the storage capacity of a battery, is more common with higher rates of delithiation and in longer particles.
Cómo ayudar a O&M, EPCs y propietarios de activos a convertir en éxito los riesgos del boom fotovoltaico
En este pv magazine Webinar, ampere.cloud mostrará con ejemplos a las empresas de O&M cómo operar significativamente más activos con el mismo equipo; a los EPC, cómo cumplir los requisitos (incluidas las certificaciones) de los operadores de la red y garantizar una inyección estable y conforme a las normas a un coste asequible; y a propietarios cómo garantizar el retorno de la inversión en activos.
The Hydrogen Stream: Guangdong targets €4.35/kg retail price by 2025
The authorities in China’s Guangdong province have released a 2022-25 plan that foresees the retail price for hydrogen dropping to less than CNY 30/kg ($4.42/kg). Germany and Canada, meanwhile, are set to strengthen their collaboration on hydrogen, and Ford has revealed plans to team up with Southern California Gas for a hydrogen fuel cell electric truck that will be on the road by 2025.
Meyer Burger secures silicon wafer supplies from Norway
Meyer Burger has announced that it has concluded a binding supply agreement with Norwegian Crystals for silicon wafers to use in heterojunction cell manufacturing. Hydro facilities primarily power the production of the wafers and their precursor materials in Norway. Combined with the shorter distance they’ll have to travel, this adds up to a low carbon footprint.
UK steelmakers could be spared from clean energy costs
The United Kingdom’s most energy-intensive manufacturers, already exempt from 85% of the contributions paid by other companies for green incentive schemes, could be spared from them entirely, according to a new consultation exercise.
Greek utility launches EPC tender for 550 MW of solar at former coal mine
Greece’s Public Power Corp. (PPC) Renewables, the green energy division of state-owned PPC, has kicked off a tender for a 550 MW subsidy-free solar plant at a former lignite mine.
The Hydrogen Stream: Traditional hydrogen blending could damage gas pipelines, say researchers
UK researchers have revealed that gaseous hydrogen could cause problems in natural gas pipelines, while electrolyzer manufacturer Nel has announced plans to build a second production line in Norway.
CATL unveils plans for 100 GWh battery plant in Hungary
China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) has announced plans to invest €7.34 billion ($7.6 billion) to build a 100 GWh battery plant in Debrecen, Hungary. It will be the company’s second battery cell manufacturing facility in Europe.
Gallium doping keeps p-type in the frame
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have investigated gallium-doping in p-type silicon wafers as a route to better performance. Testing these specially produced p-type wafers in TOPCon and heterojunction cell architectures, which several major PV cell manufacturers are gearing up to produce on more expensive n-type wafers, the scientists found that with gallium doping, the p-type wafers can achieve similar or even better cell efficiencies compared to those made so far with n-type wafers.
Supply chain difficulties translate into losses for SMA
SMA’s Home Solutions segment was particularly badly hit as the PV inverter manufacturer struggled to meet the demand due to the shortage of materials. The sales and results in the first half of 2022 were therefore significantly worse than in 2021. The company now wants to take “a series of measures to improve its long-term ability to deliver.”
