Floating PV system mysteriously washes up on Hong Kong beach
A local environmental organization has published pictures of the stranded array which appeared last week on two beaches. Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is currently investigating where the installation came from.
Investigating load scenarios for grid-forming inverters
A consortium led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) will test grid-forming inverters at a large-scale PV facility in southern Germany. The aim of the first tests is to examine the performance of the devices under real operating conditions, stress factors, and typical stress profiles.
Methylammonium-free perovskite solar modules with 19.28% efficiency
Researchers in Singapore have built a large-area perovskite PV panel that reportedly retains more than 90% of the initial efficiency after more than 850 hours. They used a hydrophobic, all-organic salt to modify the top surface of large-area, slot-die coated methylammonium-free halide perovskite layers.
High-latitude tests show vertical rooftop PV yields 30% more energy
Norway’s Over Easy says its pilot vertical PV system in Oslo achieved remarkable performance throughout a snowy winter. In 2022, the vertical array generated 1,070 kWh per kilowatt installed, which the company says compares to around 800 kWh per kilowatt installed for a conventional rooftop array.
Indian researchers unveil new way to make metal-oxide layers for solar cells
Researchers at IIT Mandi have developed high-quality, uniform thin films of nickel oxide on the silicon substrate using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique, with nickel nitrate as the precursor material.
German manufacturer achieves 80% overall efficiency with new PVT solar module
Sunmaxx says Fraunhofer ISE has confirmed the 80% efficiency of its new photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) module. It consists of 108 PERC half-cells in M10 format, with 400 W of electrical output and 1,200 W of thermal output.
Solar curtailment vs. storage
Swiss researchers have looked at whether storage could be cheaper than curtailment in medium-voltage distribution networks with significant amounts of PV capacity. They considered storage costs, operational costs, grid constraints, electricity costs, PV generation models, and loads.
US researchers evaluate viability of ‘direct’ green hydrogen fuel production
Rather than using solar or wind to power electrolysis, researchers are testing the competitiveness of photoelectrochemical cells to produce emissions-free hydrogen fuels.
Dutch BIPV specialist unveils white facade solar panels
Solarix, a building-integrated PV (BIPV) manufacturer in the Netherlands, has developed a white variant of its facade solar panels. It says demand for white BIPV products is rising across Europe, especially among architects.
French startup deploys 300 kW offshore solar pilot in Mediterranean
SolarinBlue has deployed the first units of an offshore PV pilot plant in the Mediterranean Sea, 1.5 km off the port of Sète, France.
