World

The SisAl Pilot project produces solar-grade silicon from Spanish quartz without using coal and with zero CO2 emissions. The company behind the project claims that the process is cheaper and more sustainable.

French startup Unéole has developed a rooftop system that combines solar and silent wind turbines. It claims its system can produce 40% more energy than standalone rooftop solar arrays. It is now testing the device, with plans to commercialize it by 2023.

French scientists have studied the fabrication of silicon heterojunction cells with p-type wafers. With the adoption of gallium doping, the p-type products could come close to matching the performance of their n-type counterparts. But optimal doping levels will be key to advancing this tech, said the researchers.

A new white paper by testing equipment specialist Wavelabs outlines key challenges that the solar industry will face when it comes to testing and characterizing perovskite-silicon tandem cells in manufacturing environments.

An Australian research group has shown how passivating contacts based on transition metal oxides could replace contacts based on doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon in n-type solar cells in the future. They designed a cell with an open-circuit voltage of 665 mV, a short-circuit current of 40.78 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 80.8%.

Stäubli, a Swiss electrical connector manufacturer, has unveiled a new branch connector with both UL and IEC certification.

US scientists have reported efficient plasmonic photocatalysis for the production of hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide, with no external heat source. Egypt, meanwhile, has started commissioning Africa’s first integrated green hydrogen plant.

A new EU-funded project aims to show how heat pump technologies could supply various industrial processes with heat in the 90 C to 160 C temperature range. It also looks at how heat can be extracted from renewable sources like solar thermal, as well as ambient heat and industrial waste heat.

The New York City authorities have determined that a lithium battery in an unspecified micromobility device triggered a recent high-rise fire that injured dozens in Manhattan. Saudi Arabia has launched its first EV brand, while Indian researchers have developed a new anode material that can help to recharge lithium-ion EV batteries in minutes.

GameChange Solar designed its new fixed-tilt racking system to maximize module density, with a ground coverage ratio of up to 98%. The systems costs $0.039/W in the United States and $0.029/W in other markets, for a typical 105 mph wind load.