New thermal battery offers fast, efficient performance at low cost
US engineers have built a scalable thermal energy storage prototype system that combines the best latent and sensible heat transfers. The technology, which is now market-ready after three years of testing, consists of engineered cementitious materials and thermosiphons in a combination that enables fast, efficient thermal performance at low cost.
Machine learning predicts residential power yield of large PV system fleets
Dutch scientists have developed a PV forecasting method that uses the XGBoost algorithm. They claim their approach predicts electricity generation levels an hour ahead for big fleets of residential solar arrays.
Ethylenediamine increases efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cell by 22%
Scientists in Germany have raised the efficiency of an inverted perovskite solar cell from 15.9% to 20.1% by using a mixed solvent vapor annealing method based on ethylenediamine (EDA).
Pumped hydro key to meeting storage demand
Pumped hydro energy storage can be readily scaled to any required storage capacity at a known and affordable cost.
Perovskite-CIGS tandem solar cell design promises 29.7% efficiency
A numerical study by researchers at India’s Chitkara University shows enhanced performance in the top device of a tandem solar cell based on copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). The design had a higher open-circuit voltage, with the top cell acting as a current-limiting cell.
Photovoltaic electolyzer with shingled solar panels, anion exchange membrane
Scientists in Belgium have designed a solar-powered electrolyzer that uses standard-sized, large area shingled silicon PV for water splitting. The system is reportedly able to achieve solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 10% at electrolyzer current densities of approximately 60 mA cm−2.
Efficiency of solar vehicles in real-world conditions
A new three-year pilot project will assess the efficiency of vehicle-integrated PV and verify it with on-the-road monitoring and testing. The goal is to predict the charging infrastructure needed for electric vehicles with PV modules.
Impact of single-axis agrivoltaics systems on non-irrigated grassland
US researchers are studying how agrivoltaic systems mounted on single-axis trackers affect rainfall and light redistribution at a 1.2 MW installation on grassland in Boulder, Colorado.
Risen claims 23.89% efficiency with heterojunction solar modules
TÜV Sud has confirmed that the maximum power of Risen Energy’s heterojunction PV module series is 741.4 W.
Storing heat in blocks made of aluminum, graphite
Shell has provided Australian startup MGA Thermal with “game-changer” funding to accelerate the completion of a commercial-scale pilot storage plant.
