Research

Scientists in China have outlined a mission proposal for the China Academy of Space Technology space solar power (SSP) development program. It includes three solar arrays, microwave power transmission, and laser power transmission. The roadmap predicts this demonstration mission cound be attempted before 2030.

Offshore PV technologies were tested for the first time under the severe wave loads generated by Delta Flume, a 300 m long man-made flume with a wave generator that is capable of producing waves as tall as five meters. The testing is intended to standardize testing and certification processes for offshore floating PV systems.

Researchers in Spain have warned that nest-box installations at PV plants are often poorly planned or used for greenwashing, with boxes placed in unsuitable locations, installed incorrectly, or lacking post-installation monitoring.

To assess ion migration-induced degradation modes via accelerated ageing of perovskite solar cells, an international research team investiagted using electric forward bias and dark storage approach.

Scientists in Germany have analyzed the thermal runaway behavior of sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries inside a 10-L reaction vessel. They have thermally abused 30 samples, each under a different state of charge level, and have found that both types suffered from runaway when the charge is at least 50%.

Researchers have analyzed the potential implementation of green methanol from CO2 capture in existing industries, based on European GIS data. While they found 9,213 theoretically viable municipalities, the number fell to 3,016 when considering the space needed for a PV installation around the plant.

France’s New Imaging Technologies has launched a short-wave infrared line-by-line scanning camera for high-definition and high-performance silicon PV inspection systems.

China’s Trina Solar has unveiled a perovskite‑silicon tandem solar module prototype delivering 841 W and 27.1% efficiency, based on 210 mm tandem cells.

Researchers in Denmark claim to have identified the best locations for rear plane-of-array irradiance sensors on the back of single-axis trackers in bifacial PV projects. Their work suggests how to reduce sensor quantities while maintaining accurate performance monitoring.

Scientists in Austria have conducted a risk analysis for four setups for coupled PV-electrolyser systems, and tested them under three use cases. They calculated failure probability as well as the levelized cost of hydrogen and its risk-weighted variant.