Renewables

Scientists in China have constructed and tested a device that uses redox couples paired with a single triple-junction amorphous-silicon photoelectrode. When tested under a xenon lamp simulating one sun, the device achieved an average solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.2%.

Repurposed electric vehicle batteries have been used for the energy storage component of a solar and battery project that is now helping power operations at carmaker Nissan Australia’s aluminium casting plant in Victoria.

A team of Sweden-based researchers has developed a snow loss model to estimate snow-induced PV power losses on an hourly basis. The proposed approach relies solely on data from remote sensing sources, such as aerial imagery, LIDAR, and satellite data.

Glare from a nearby solar park forced temporary runway closures at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, prompting Dutch authorities to order the removal of about 78,000 PV modules and apply anti-reflective film to others. The solar park operator, however, decided to replace all the panels. The largest portion of the removed, near-new modules have since been acquired by BM Energy and are expected to be redeployed in projects where glare is not a concern.

Scientists have simulated a solar-powered hydrogen production system comprising 32,050 photovoltaic panels, a pumping system, a seawater reverse-osmosis desalination unit, an electrolyzer, and a hydrogen storage tank. Operation of the system in Oman could potentially yield a levelized cost of electricity of $0.05/kWh and a levelized cost of hydrogen of $9.5/kg.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA PVPS shows that with climate-specific site selection, robust design, proper installation, and proactive O&M, most PV systems can be made resilient and remain reliable despite intensifying weather risks.

Researchers in Slovakia have demonstrated a machine-learning framework that predicts PV inverter output and detects anomalies using only electrical and temporal data, achieving 100% accuracy in classifying inverter output states under static operating conditions at a solar installation.

This week, Women in Solar+ Europe features Sonia de Sales, Director of Development at Spain’s Altano Energy. She emphasizes that implementing an equal-opportunities plan is key to ensuring open and fair recruitment, including balanced shortlists and actively sourcing female candidates when they are underrepresented, while hiring on merit and making it clearly visible

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Europe’s solar generation potential in November showed a strong east–west split, with Eastern Europe experiencing 15–20% below-normal irradiance due to persistent storms, while much of Western and Central Europe recorded 15–20% above-average levels under clearer conditions. The Atlantic coast was an exception, as Storm Claudia reduced irradiance to near or below average in Portugal, the British Isles, and parts of France and Spain.

Researchers at Tokyo University of Science showed that sodium-ion batteries with hard carbon anodes can charge faster than lithium-ion batteries by using a diluted electrode method that reveals sodium insertion is intrinsically quicker than lithium.