Solar Power

Researchers have looked into the impact of potential regulated charge exemptions on two types of energy communities in 39 European countries. They have found that communities with collectively owned PV systems achieve greater savings.

A Chinese research team has built an all-perovskite tandem solar cell with a 19.6%-efficient wide bandgap top cell relying on a 2D/3D heterostructure and narrow bandgap bottom cell with a 21.3% efficiency. The tandem device showed remarkable stability by retaining 90% of its initial efficiency after 855 h of continuous operation.

The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh says it will soon launch a tender for 4 GW of solar projects, with an additional 3 GW to be auctioned at a later date.

Scientists from South Korea have designed new photovoltaic modules with both rectangular and triangular shapes and solar cells connected in parallel, which they said have higher partial-shading tolerance compared with cells connected in strings. The panels are reportedly less sensitive to partial-shading geometries than shingled modules.

Kuala Lumpur-based utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has started accepting applications for the development of a 30 MW (AC) floating PV plant at a reservoir in eastern Malaysia.

India’s cumulative solar installations hit 72.02 GW as of Oct. 31, 2023. Grid-connected solar rooftops account for 15.38% of all installed capacity, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) has announced a request for qualification (RFQ) in relation to 3.7 GW of solar across four projects, as part of the fifth round of the Saudi Arabian government’s renewable energy tender program.

The system’s manufacturer, Midea, is targeting UK homeowners with an all-in-one solution for managing PV, energy storage, heat pumps, and air conditioning.

A Dutch-German research team has tested how a series of framed messages may be used to boost PV system sales, addressing both self-interest and environmental concerns, and has found that all the proposed messages are effective at promoting the purchase of solar panel installations.

Stanford University researchers have explored the efficiency of a single-junction solar cell using transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2 as absorbers. The device has shown substantial light absorptance in ultra-thin 5-nanometer (nm) films, achieving high short-circuit current levels.