photovoltaics

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a demonstration experiment to assess the efficiency of heat pumps in demand-response control on the Aran Islands in Ireland and San Pietro Island in Italy. As part of the European Union’s REACT project, solar, wind, and storage solutions will also be implemented to enhance the energy self-sufficiency of isolated islands.

PV Cycle has published a position paper stating that PV panels do not fit with the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive. It is calling for the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for all renewable energy products and equipment in the European Union.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers have developed a binary organic solar cell (OSC) with a record power conversion efficiency of 19.31%. They invented a non-monotonic intermediate state manipulation strategy to lower the non-radiative recombination loss and boost efficiency.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America in May. New York registered a new record on May 18th, when solar power met 20% of the state power demand, while Los Angeles and San Diego rooftops actually received less irradiance during May than New York’s or Boston’s.

A Dutch research group has used a series of techniques from the automotive industry to develop a novel methodology to repair glass in double-glass solar panels. Their experimental work represents the step towards transforming glass-damaged solar panels from waste into valuable products.

Avancis has set a new world record for a copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) solar panel with an integrated series connection of 30 cm x 30 cm, achieving an efficiency of 20.3%. The German manufacturer’s accomplishment has been validated by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Germany’s development bank, KfW, is financing a new minigrid project in Senegal with a $138.8 million loan.

India installed 11.4 GW of utility-scale solar capacity in 2022 and 1.9 GW of rooftop PV, for a total of 13.3 GW.

Scientists in the United Kingdom have proposed using orbiting solar reflectors to enhance the electricity yield of terrestrial solar power plants. They claim this new technology may be particularly beneficial for improving generation at dusk and dawn, when irradiance is lower.

ACEN Australia has secured approval from the New South Wales state government for its expanded battery proposal, making it the largest battery in Australia at 1.4 GW/2.8 GWh. The battery will be built near the company’s 720 MW New England Solar project.