Research

French scientists have proposed the use of radiative sky cooling as a passive cooling technique to cut PV module temperatures by 10 C. They claim the method could improve performance by more than 5 W/m2.

Scientists have set a new efficiency record for a single-junction perovskite solar cell at 25.6%. The cell additionally showed operational stability for 450 hours, and intense electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of more than 10%.

Scientists in Madrid investigated the use of antireflective coatings in multijunction solar cells, drawing several conclusions that could further improve the efficiency of these cells. Their approach could improve on current antireflective coatings, particularly for high-efficiency multijunction cells, using methods and materials already proven in mass production.

The lightweight and flexible cell was built by Estonian researchers with microcrystalline powders. The device is claimed to be the most efficient solar cell fabricated with a semiconductor compound known as Cu2CdGe(SxSe1−x)4.

The University of New South Wales is leading a new research project to determine how rooftop solar PV and other distributed energy resources, including small-scale batteries, can be integrated into Australia’s power grid.

Arvind Shah, a professor at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, and Meyer Burger former Chief Innovation Officer Sylvère Leu recently spoke to pv magazine about the future of heterojunction PV modules. They said the tech is mature and can now compete on cost with PERC panels in projects – particularly in hot, humid environments.

The Recommended Practice guide, on top of describing the most common requirements for building a floating PV array, provides a series of technical guidelines for electrical safety, anchoring and mooring issues, operation and maintenance, and specific plant design that can withstand site-specific environmental conditions.

Two recent studies have separately shown that many scenarios assessing global decarbonization pathways are still predicting too-low future PV capacity and too-high LCOEs for the solar technology. The researchers analyzed scenarios provided by scientific researchers, government bodies and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the European Commission, the Indian government, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), among others.

New research shows that renewables plus batteries could offer Australia’s electricity grid the same energy security as coal and gas generators, prompting calls for regulatory changes.

U.S. researchers have discovered that long-duration energy storage technologies could make the decarbonization of the electricity system more affordable and reliable.