photovoltaic

Australia currently has about 40% renewable electricity, mostly solar and wind. This is not causing wholesale spot prices to change, nor destabilizing the grid. On current policy settings, the country will reach 82% renewable electricity in 2030.

Researchers at the Jülich Research Center in Germany have used novel photoluminescence measurements to analyze the recombination of charge carriers in perovskite solar cells. They have found that the loss of charge carriers in perovskite devices works differently from other types of PV cells.

Researchers from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) investigated the commercial prospects of perovskite-silicon tandem PV technologies and found that, in order to bring them closer to market maturity, their cost should not exceed by 30% that of crystalline silicon counterparts. Their roadmap stresses the importance of reducing perovskite degradation and improving product stability.

The Australian authorities launched an investigation after an inverter burst into flames at the 30 MW Mannum Stage 2 solar farm, which is being developed near the town of Mannum, South Australia. A worker is now being treated in the hospital for burns.

The Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry and Technology Alliance (CNESA) says China installed 21.5 GW/46.6 GWh of stationary storage capacity in 2023.

The World Bank has issued a tender for consultancy services for Uganda’s Electricity Access Scale-up Project (EASP). Backed by World Bank funding, EASP will oversee the deployment of 40 solar energy water supply schemes across the East African country.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that increased cloud led to solar assets in Northern Germany and the Netherlands receiving only 70% of normal irradiance in December. This cloud activity, however, did not make it below the Alps, and Southern Europe saw reduced rain and significantly less cloud than normal, with some regions experiencing 130% of the normal December irradiance.

Vegetek has developed a “biosolar” roof solution for new and existing buildings. It combines the benefits of greenery and solar panels.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the rollout of rooftop solar in Australia will drop off “faster than anticipated,” with grid integration challenges and saturation of the power system contributing to a revision of expectations for renewable energy growth.

Researchers in Sweden sought to raise the efficiency of ground source heat pumps by combining their operation with that of PVT systems and free cooling. Through a series of simulations, they found that this integrated solution may reduce borehole length and land area requirements.