New perovskite material for lead-free solar cells
An Algerian research group has analyzed the electronic, elastic, optical, and thermoelectric characteristics of the KGeCl3 perovskite to verify if this lead-free material may be used for solar cells and other electronic devices. The scientists found that the novel material has a direct bandgap semiconductor with bandgap energies of 0.92 eV, 1.26 eV, and 1.88 eV for cubic, tetragonal, and orthorhombic phases, respectively.
Uniper to build Germany’s largest PV plant
Uniper plans to power a green hydrogen production facility in the German state of Lower Saxony with 317 MW of solar.
Italy’s solar installations hit 2.3 GW in H1
Italy deployed 2.3 GW of new solar capacity in the first half of the year, while its cumulative installed PV capacity reached 27.4 GW at the end of March, according to Italia Solare, the national solar energy association.
ClearVue next-gen ‘solar window’ powers through mass production run
Australia’s ClearVue Technologies says it has confirmed the scalability and “commercial viability” of its second-generation integrated glazing units, following a mass production run using a standard manufacturing line at a factory in China.
Selenium solar cell built with laser-annealing achieves record fill factor of 63.7%
Built by Danish researchers, the device also achieved a power conversion efficiency of 5.0%. They designed the cell with a soda-lime glass substrate, a tin oxide (FTO) layer, an electron transport layer made of titanium oxide (TiO2), a selenium absorber, a molybdenum oxide (MoOx) layer, and a gold (Au) metal contact.
Solar for water deionization
Scientists in Canada have combined PV power generation with water purification based on capacitive deionization (CDI), which is claimed to have low operational cost, enhanced energy efficiency, and less water rejection than conventional purification techniques. The solar-powered system prototype is able to produce more water than a conventional CDI system on a sunny day.
Kstar launches all-in-one lithium-titanate batteries for residential applications
The new batteries reportedly provide steady operation for up to 16,000 charge cycles. It has a storage capacity of 5.4 kWh and a depth of discharge of 90%.
US August irradiance: Sunshine before the storm in the South
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Tropical Storm Hillary and its associated cloud systems led to significantly lower irradiance than usual for August, in a broad area from Baja, through Southern California, and along the Rockies to British Columbia.
China polysilicon prices rise for the eighth consecutive week
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
Fraunhofer ISE helping Holosolis to build Europe’s largest solar factory
Fraunhofer ISE is helping Holosolis to build Europe’s largest PV factory – a 5 GW solar plant in France – by 2025. The German research institute is providing support in technology selection and factory planning.
