Harnessing the power of agrivoltaics: the future of sustainable land use
In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA PVPS provides a comprehensive overview of the recently released edition of the “Dual Land Use for Agriculture and Solar Power Production: Overview and Performance of Agrivoltaic Systems” report. The 91-page handbook was developed by IEA PVPS Task 13.
PV outperforms wind, piezoelectric energy in street lighting
Scientists in Thailand have assessed which technology between PV, wind, or piezoelectric energy is better for powering street lighting and have found solar is the winning tech, as it proved both economically and technologically feasible.
How to find optimum PV placement in mountain regions
Switzerland’s WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) is investigating how solar yield can be optimized in snow-covered terrain. It is envisaged the results will help to place PV systems on mountains so they make use of light that is reflected from neighbouring slopes.
UK scientists build PV redox flow battery with 9.54% solar-to-chemical efficiency
The PV-driven redox flow battery can reportedly achieve a maximum solar-to-output electricity efficiency of 3.11% during a 36-hour period. The system incorporates a 25 cm2 heterojunction photovoltaic device and is based on a neutral pH aqueous iodine-bromine redox couple.
Albanian government approves 54 MW of solar projects
The government of Albania has permitted the development of two new solar plants with capacity of 30 MW and 24 MW, respectively.
Strategies for de-risking early-stage renewable energy projects
Over 70% to 90% of early-stage projects fail and are never constructed, according to findings reported by Paces.
Solar grazing supports healthier soil, food for sheep, says American Solar Grazing Association
Solar sheep grazing helps to create a beneficial dual-use environment, found American Solar Grazing Association in a two-year study conducted at 31 different solar sites.
Fraunhofer develops contactless method for measuring back-contact solar cells
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a contactless method to measure the performance of back-contact solar cells, enabling in-line assessment of key parameters such as efficiency, fill factor, and current-voltage characteristics.
Malaysia introduces rooftop solar aggregation scheme
Malaysia’s first rooftop aggregation initiative for solar systems is now live. The program allows homeowners to lease or rent their rooftop for solar generation, with the electricity produced sold to commercial and domestic customers within a 5 km radius.
Inverted perovskite solar cell based on ionic salt achieves 26% efficiency
An international team led by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has used ionic salt for the electron transport layer of a perovskite solar cell to improve device stability and performance. Test results showed a 26% power conversion efficiency with 2% degradation after 2,100 hours of 1-sun operation at 65 C.
