Work underway on Tesla’s rooftop solar system in Texas
A drone pilot has discovered that Tesla is starting to install solar panels, racking and inverters on the rooftop of a manufacturing facility it is building in Texas.
New German government presents package of measures to support PV
The new package includes an increase in solar capacity, to be allocated through tenders, and the mandatory installation of PV systems in all commercial buildings.
Solar module tech from oldest PV system in Netherlands
A solar panel on display at a science museum in the Netherlands is one of 2,748 modules that were used for the country’s oldest PV system. The module has an efficiency of around 9% and a power output of 18W. It was manufactured by Germany-based AEG-Telefunken in 1982.
All-polymer organic solar cell with 16.05% efficiency
The device achieved the highest efficiency and fill factor ever reported for an all-polymer solar cell based on polymerized small molecular acceptors. The cell was built with a top donor material known as PBDB-T and an electron acceptor made of the polymer PYT.
Yaskawa Solectria Solar unveils string inverter series for utility scale projects
The US manufacturer said the device has an efficiency of 99.0% and a California Energy Commission (CEC) efficiency of 98.5%. It has a size of 750x1125x390 mm and weighs in at 131.5 kg.
Australian energy giant submits plan for 500MW of PV, 400MWh of battery storage
Woodside Energy has submitted a proposal for a 500MW solar facility to the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority. The company wants to install up to 1 million solar panels to power industrial customers in the state, including its own Pluto LNG export facility.
Millions saved with onsite mulching of solar trash
Florida utility FPL has been mulching solar panel packaging – cardboard boxes and pallets – to save approximately $130,000 per 75 MW (AC) site, compared to standard disposal practices.
Spain’s first utility scale solar plant linked to storage goes online
The 40MW solar plant is linked to 3MW/9MWh of storage and is located in the department of Almaraz, in the southern region of Extremadura. It was built by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola.
Cadmium selenide solar cell with 1.88% efficiency
The cell may be potentially used as a top subcell in tandem crystalline silicon-based devices. It was built with CdSe thin film with a direct bandgap of 1.72 eV.
‘Ultra low-cost solar’ gets AUD 40 million R&D boost from ARENA
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced AUD 40 million ($28.7 million) of research and development funding across two streams. Stream 1 consists of cells and modules, while Stream 2 is focused on balance of system, along with operations and maintenance. It is hoped the additional funding will spur Australia’s pioneering solar research to push for the federal government’s “ultra low-cost solar” target of AUD 15/MWh.
