Vertical agrivoltaics for high snow loads
Luxor Solar has developed a south-oriented system for high snow loads in Japan. It features its own heterojunction solar modules, along with mounting systems from Germany’s Next2Sun and inverters from Japan’s Omron.
Solar cell efficiencies at a glance – updated
A research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 61 of the solar cell efficiency tables. The tables include a world record for a silicon heterojunction cell, announced by Longi earlier this week, as well as five more new results.
Qcells, European consortium launch production line for tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells
South Korea-based Qcells and a research group led by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have established a pilot manufacturing line for silicon-perovskite tandem cells in Thalheim, Germany. The project aims to speed up the technology’s mass manufacturing and market penetration.
Microwave heating for glass separation in end-of-life solar modules
Scientists in Thailand have used microwaves to separate broken glass from PV panels. The process can be performed at temperatures ranging from 45 C to 55 C.
Toshiba, Marubeni launch rock-based thermal energy storage tech pilot
Toshiba and Marubeni have revealed plans to build commercial projects based on thermal storage technology using rocks. They have set up a demonstrator with 100 kWh of storage capacity and a relatively high heat storage density.
Solar for extreme Arctic conditions
US researchers have installed a pilot 4.3 kW solar system at Oliktok Point, Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle. They want to determine which PV system designs and technologies are most efficient in extremely cold climates with limited sunlight.
Optimized tilt angle boosts solar generation in France, Italy by 4%
A group of researchers from Italy has proposed formulas to determine the optimal tilt angle for PV installations in France and Italy, claiming improved positioning would result in an increase in collectible solar energy of up to 4%.
Non-linear degradation curves affecting solar project profitability
Italian scientists have looked at how non-linear degradation curves could affect the profitability of large-scale solar projects. They found that full substitution of the modules after 10 years could be justified if the performance loss rate was higher than 1% per year.
NREL updates interactive chart of solar cell efficiency
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a new, interactive version of its research cell efficiency chart for a range of PV technologies.
CIGS-perovskite tandem solar module with 21.1% efficiency
German scientists have built a tandem perovskite-CIGS panel measuring 9 square centimeters, with organometallic perovskites for the top module.
