Special tracker for agrivoltaics
German tracker manufacturer Ideematec has adapted its Horizon L:TEC tracker for a series of agrivoltaic projects totaling 100 MW that will be developed in France by Spanish developer Amda Energía. The new tracker is claimed to be able to operate synergistically with the agricultural equipment.
Key indicators to identify the best photovoltaic heat pump
Researchers in Spain have compiled a list of key performance indicators intended at evaluating not only the quality of a heat pump or a PV generator; but also the quality of their integration. pv magazine spoke to research co-author Celena Lorenzo about the potential and challenges of this combination. According to her, heat pumps powered by PV alone are efficient enough for both cooling and heating.
Bisol launches half-cut module with multi-busbar tech
The new panel was conceived for applications in the rooftop segment. It features an efficiency of up to 20.5% and a power rating of 360/455 W. The Slovenian module manufacturer used 166×166 mm wafers for the new product, as it claims they currently provide the best power and size ratio.
U.S. solar industry comes ‘roaring back,’ breaks multiple records in 2020
Here are the brand-new stats and forecasts from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie.
RedEarth deal to see thousands of new Australian homes built with solar-battery systems
Battery storage manufacturer RedEarth has partnered with a major Australian housing developer to offer new-home buyers solar and solar/battery systems tailored to their needs from the get go – and with the opportunity to sell excess energy at optimized prices where the grid needs it most.
Poland to add another 11 GW of PV over the next five years
The Eastern European country is expected to add around 2 GW per year over the next five years, according to Polish research institute Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej. By the end of 2025, its cumulative installed PV capacity should reach 14.93 GW.
Holographic film to protect solar panels from overheating
Russian scientists have developed a holographic film based on prismatic concentrators that reduces the operating temperature of solar panels, including thermal-photovoltaic devices. They claim the patented, low-cost technique can even improve PV module efficiency in cloudy weather.
Canadian start-up wants to build gigafactory for vanadium flow batteries in China
The factory will be built by VRB Energy in the Hubei province, where it also wants to deploy a 100 MW solar park linked to a 100 MW/500 MWh vanadium flow battery.
Organic PV module with 12.36% efficiency
Chinese researchers have taken a quaternary approach to fabricate a module with an area of 19.34 cm2, a geometrical filling factor of 95.5%, and an efficiency of 12.36%.
Wacker reports slight revenue growth for polysilicon business
The German polysilicon manufacturer reported higher sales volumes and a better product mix for its polysilicon segment.
