World

Chinese scientists have simulated a new photovoltaic-thermoelectric technology, based on radiative cooling and III-V solar cells, to generate electricity at night.

Zola Electric’s new lithium iron phosphate battery system charges from solar and the grid and can power AC and DC appliances. It has a nominal voltage of 12.8 V and a nominal capacity of 50 Ah.

Finnish researchers have proposed the use of solar, wind, and storage to provide desalinated seawater to restore forests. Their model predicts that an additional 10.7 TW of PV would be needed to actually do this by 2100, leading to a cumulative carbon dioxide sequestration potential of 730 gigatons.

Brazilian researchers have compared the environmental impact of two PV plants – one with polycrystalline solar modules mounted on fixed-tilt trackers, and another with the same modules mounted on single-axis trackers. The life cycle assessment shows the system with single-axis trackers reduced carbon gas emissions by 24%, land use by 20%, and water use by 7%.

South Korean researchers have reported higher performance with a newly proposed BM/BiFeOxHy electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), due to higher lattice vacancies and the amorphous structure. Institutions in the EU, the UK, and Canada, meanwhile, have announced new plans to provide funds for hydrogen projects.

Honda has revealed a new hydrogen strategy, while Air Liquide and TotalEnergies have announced a new hydrogen joint venture.

Norway’s DNV has acquired Australia-based solar data specialist Solcast for an unspecified sum.

China’s Trina Solar has published a white paper on its latest n-type TOPCon modules, with cost calculations and figures from demonstration projects. The Chinese PV manufacturer claims better performance from its 210 mm cells than with other n-type products based on smaller, 182 mm cells.

An international research group has developed an inverted perovskite solar cell with an active area of 9.6 mm2 by using polymer dipoles for interfacial engineering. It retained 96% of its initial power conversion efficiency after continuous maximum power point (MPP) tracking for 1,000 hours.

Storage Hub founder Oliver Schmidt speaks with pv magazine about his outlook for battery energy storage pricing and the cost trajectory of electrolyzers. Schmidt’s new book, “Monetizing Energy Storage – A toolkit to assess future cost and value,” will be published by Oxford University Press in June.