Solar Power

German scientists have fabricated an enhanced amorphous germanium PV cell that confines light in an ultra-thin absorber. It has the potential to combine PV with photosynthesis in new solar applications on bio-reactors, greenhouses, and agricultural land.

French energy giant Total called the 50:50 joint venture a “first significant step” into the U.S. utility-scale solar market.

The German research institute has proposed a technique based on the surface structure of the wings of the morpho butterfly to produce colored BIPV panels for facades and rooftops. The process is claimed to make it possible to color the modules with an optical effect and not with color pigments, which reduce their efficiency.

Looking back over years of research into the topic of hybrid systems based on different combinations of solar, wind, hydro and other renewables, an international group of scientists found strong potential for strategies to exploit complementarity between the different sources integrate more intermittent renewables onto regional and national grids. The scientists present a series of conclusions and recommendations that aim to push research in hybrid renewables forward.

The German renewable energy company has completed two more projects, totaling 29.2 MW, in the country.

According to official statistics from grid operator TEIAS, the country’s cumulative PV capacity reached 6.66 GW at the end of December.

International researchers have developed a silicon heterojunction PV cell with textured surfaces to accommodate the perovskite top cell. They optimized the rear transparent electrode to collect as much albedo as possible and achieved five different perovskite bandgaps by altering the iodide-to-bromide ratio in the perovskites, resulting in a higher open-circuit voltage.

Solar developers have until Feb. 10 to bid for the capacity, which will be awarded through international competitive bidding, followed by a reverse auction.

In the first instance, the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany ruled in favor of Hanwha Q-Cells, but Longi Solar has appealed the judgment. There is also still a struggle for the validity of the patent between the photovoltaic companies at the European Patent Office. In addition to Longi Solar, REC is also reporting another partial success in the legal dispute with the South Korean photovoltaic manufacturer.

While Spain is struggling with the largest snowfall since 1971, pv magazine editor Alejandro Diego Rosell has asked two Spanish experts what the consequences of the massive snow loads produced by Storm Filomena will be on solar installations. According to them, some PV systems may stop working completely and component failures may not be excluded.