Paving the way for lead-free perovskite solar cells
Researchers in Singapore have developed a perovskite solar cell via a new method to synthesize the capping without using lead. The cell is capped with a zinc-based compound and reportedly has a conversion efficiency of 24.1%.
Solar grazing methods a centerpiece of inaugural agrivoltaics conference
Dan French, executive producer of the Solar Farm Summit, told pv magazine USA that more than 500 farmers, manufacturers, and community solar developers likely attended the first US agrivoltaics conference in Chicago last week.
Field data on heat pump efficiency, cold climate performance
Energy Systems Catapult has released interim data from air-source heat pump field monitoring in the United Kingdom between November 2020 and August 2022. Figures show that heat pumps are three times more efficient than gas boilers and that their median coefficient of performance (COP) on cold days is 2.44, compared to 2.80 year round.
Hounen to build 1 GW solar module factory in US
China-based module manufacturer Huonen Solar said it wants to build a panel manufacturing facility in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The factory will produce modules for the US market.
Around 800 Sungrow batteries affected by outage in Germany
After 800 Sungrow batteries were impacted by an outage, the Chinese manufacturer informed its local German partners about the solution to the problem. However, it remains unclear how quickly the affected battery management systems can be replaced.
Light redirecting film to improve heterojunction solar module performance
Finnish technology company Intelligent Control Systems has conceived a light redirecting film that purportedly reduces energy losses in the edge area of heterojunction solar cells. It claims the film may increase the power conversion efficiency of a heterojunction module by up to 0.75%.
Kesterite solar cell with transparent electrode achieves 11.4% efficiency
Chinese researchers fabricated a kesterite PV device using a transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate instead of substrates based on opaque Mo-coated soda lime glass. The cell has an open-circuit voltage of 0.522 V, a short-circuit current of 33.0 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 68.55%.
AEG unveils high-voltage residential battery
Germany’s AEG is selling two versions of its new high-voltage residential batteries, with nominal capacities of 10 kWh and 15 kWh. They come with a 10-year warranty and reportedly have a lifecycle of more than 6,000 cycles.
India deployed 2.5 GW of large-scale, unsubsidized solar capacity in 2022
India installed 7.7 GW of cumulative, open-access solar capacity by Dec. 31, 2022, following record annual additions of 2.5 GW.
Common misconceptions about residential PV
More and more people want to invest in PV arrays and battery storage systems. However, there are a number of myths that could lead to disappointment among customers, according to one German consumer association.
