SolarStratos reaches 8,224 m height
Swiss pilot Raphaël Domjan flew the SolarStratos solar-powered aircraft to 8,224 meters on Aug. 10, setting a personal record but falling short of the 9,235-meter world mark held by Solar Impulse.
Seasonally optimized PV panel tilt can boost yield by up to 9% in India
A new study investigates the seasonal optimization of PV module tilt angles to optimize the energy efficiency of solar PV plants in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The results reveal that dynamic tilt adjustments can significantly boost annual solar yield across diverse climatic zones.
Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell relying on silica nanospheres achieves 33.15% efficiency
Researchers in China have improved interface engineering in perovskite-silicon solar cells by using industrially textured silicon. The result is a highly efficienct tandem device that also showed remarkable stability.
Indoor perovskite solar cell built with triple passivation strategy achieves 37.6% efficiency
An international research team has constructed an indoor perovksite PV device by using a triple passivation treatment to reduce crystal defects in the perovskite film. The cell achieved remarkable efficiency and was also able to retain 92% of its initial performance after 3,200 h.
New research shows cast mono wafers are still far from commercial maturity
A Chinese research team has investigated impurity and defect levels in solar cells based on mono cast wafers and have found that around 30% of the devices present an “excessive” reduction in power conversion efficiency. The scientists concluded that cast monocrystalline silicon will unlikely capture a meaningful market share in the near future.
New research warns of unexpected UV-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells from invisible light
Researchers from UNSW have found that invisible light accelerates UV-induced degradation in TOPCon solar cells, producing the same degradation effects as visible light but at a much faster rate. This can lead to significant open-circuit voltage losses and reduce cell efficiency.
Agrivoltaics on rice fields, not a lost cause
Researchers in Japan have made another attempt to make agrivoltaics on rice fields technically and economically feasible, despite well-known productivity issues when rice is grown below solar modules. They used double-axis tracking, finding potential with careful management of shading and tilt angles.
China poised to remain dominant PV supplier through 2030
New research from Switzerland showed that the recent efforts to counterbalance the dominance of China in the PV industry may lead to “cost-significant” inefficiencies across the entire supply chain. The scientists found, however, that achieving regional supply chain goals can benefit the global PV ecosystem.
Vertical bifacial photovoltaic balustrade for building edges
Conceived by scientists in Hong Kong, the solar balustrade integrates bifacial PV panels and is considered an ideal solution for “cool roofs.” Roof albedo and module orientation are critical drivers of system performance.
LNG, solar collectors improve round-trip efficiency of LAES systems
Scientists simulated several liquid air energy storage systems, comparing round-trip efficiency across configurations that include liquefied natural gas (LNG), solar, and Stirling engines, and further optimized performance using particle swarm methods.
