Vehicle-integrated solar kit may reduce frequency of recharging by 14%
Developed by the French research institute Liten, the prototype kit consists of a 145 W photovoltaic panel, a magnetic rear panel, and an MPPT charge controller. It also includes a battery and a micro-inverter that can be used to inject the stored energy into the grid when the vehicle is recharged.
Inverted perovskite solar cell achieves 22.31% efficiency via novel electron-accepting interlayer
A Korean research group has built an inverted perovskite cell that is able to retain 91.7% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 h under standard illumination conditions. They built the device with an electron-accepting interlayer that also acts as charge transport.
Floating solar for water pumping
A community in Spain is using a 1.6 MW floating PV array to power water pumps for irrigation purposes. Spanish specialist Isigenere provided its technology for the project.
Hydrogen to play limited role in building energy supply
How much hydrogen is actually needed? Several German research institutes have examined 40 energy scenarios for hydrogen ramp-up and found that 15 million GWh of hydrogen will be needed worldwide by 2050.
Q Energy France unveils pilot PV system for hydroponics
The prototype system covers an area of 250 m² and is equipped with a rainwater recovery system. Q Energy France and its partner Aquacosy are now looking for land for a larger project.
Cadmium-free kesterite solar cell with 9.7% efficiency
Researchers in China developed a new kesterite solar cell they say has improved efficiency and stability. The device was able to retain around 90% of its initial efficiency after 100 days without encapsulation.
Longi achieves 26.12% efficiency for gallium-doped p-type heterojunction solar cell
The result, confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH), was achieved on a heterojunction solar cell based on an M6 wafer.
Wafer scale microwire solar cell with 21.1% efficiency
Korean scientists have built a wafer scale radial junction solar cell with tapered microwires and a surface passivation layer made of aluminum oxide. The device showed the highest power conversion efficiency among the previously reported microwire solar cells.
Flywheel energy storage tech at a glance
Indian researchers have assessed the full range of flywheel storage technologies and have presented a survey of different applications for uninterrupted power supply (UPS), transport, solar, wind, storage, flexible AC transmission-system (FACTS) devices, and other applications.
Agrivoltaics for arable crops
French developer TSE has commissioned its first agrivoltaic pilot project in northeastern France. The 2.4 MW installation spans 3 hectares and is installed on arable land devoted to the cultivation of soya, wheat, rye, barley, and rapeseed.
