Video: Energy Vault CEO discusses LCOS, novel gravity-based storage design
Robert Piconi, CEO of gravity storage specialist Energy Vault, makes the case for the US company’s long-duration energy storage solutions as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, and discusses the ideal project size from an economic perspective.
First attempt to build solar cells based on gold polyhalide hybrid perovskite
Scientists in Sweden have proposed the use of gold polyiodide compounds in monolithic perovskite solar cells. They built a lead-free device that achieved an efficiency of 0.052%.
Gravity storage system based on linear electric machines
South African scientists have designed a novel gravity energy storage system that uses linear electric motors to vertically move multiple solid masses to store and discharge electrical energy. They say its levelized cost of storage (LCOS) is $137.20/MWh, but with efficiency improvements, it could drop to about $100/MWh
Video: Market outlook for vertical rooftop solar
Norway’s Over Easy Solar AS introduced a new vertical PV system for rooftop applications last year. pv magazine spoke to CEO Trygve Mongstad about system prices and future market prospects for vertical rooftop solar tech.
Perovskite-silicon tandem PV cell with textured wafers hits 28.1% efficiency
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have built a perovskite-silicon tandem cell with textured silicon wafers to offer superior light trapping. The device has an open-circuit voltage of 1,851 mV, a short-circuit current of 18.9 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 80.1%.
Solar-powered artificial leaf to produce hydrogen from air
Chemical engineers in Switzerland have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf. Their solar-powered, transparent and porous electrode turns water from its gaseous state in the air into hydrogen fuel.
Video: ISC Konstanz director predicts 50% global market share for IBC solar panels by 2030
Radovan Kopecek, the co-founder and director of Germany’s ISC Konstanz, says interdigitated back contact (IBC) tech could account for half of the global market for solar modules by 2030. He says IBC will start to dominate once TopCON and HJT get stuck at certain efficiency limits, and he believes TOPCon will be the first victim.
UK researchers develop solar-powered waste-to-fuel system
The University of Cambridge has developed a device that converts plastics and greenhouse gases to usable fuels and products.
Sun-tracking vs. fixed vehicle-integrated PV
European researchers have evaluated the electricity generation, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and payback period of vehicle-integrated PV in EVs.
Photocatalytic water splitting with 9.2% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency
A US research team has developed a new technique to produce hydrogen from sunlight and water. It works in an indoor environment and uses pure water, concentrated solar light, and an indium gallium nitride photocatalyst.
