US startup debuts energy storage system
Franklin Whole Home has developed an integrated battery and control system with artificial intelligence. It is inverter-agnostic, can be used to charge electric-vehicle batteries, and turns homes into microgrids when utility services are down.
Brazil tops 13GW of installed PV capacity
The country installed around 3GW of new PV systems in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone. Around 8.4GW of the current PV capacity is represented by solar installations not exceeding 5MW in size, and operating under net metering.
Electrolyzer tech to produce hydrogen from seawater
With a new start-up and a consortium in the Netherlands, German automotive supplier Schaeffler wants to significantly reduce the costs of green hydrogen.
Lowering solar module temperatures with radiative cooling, heat pipes
Chinese scientists have developed a hybrid cooling technique to reduce module temperatures by up to 12.86 C and increase power yields by 7.25%. Their system features a PV module and a separate RC module, integrated with a flat plate heat pipe in between.
Large-scale PV could improve voltage of weak grids in Nigeria
Researchers have discovered that large-scale PV arrays could enhance the voltage stability of northern Nigeria’s electricity grid.
Solar-powered hydrogen for domestic applications via building-integrated transparent platform
An international research group has created a closed-loop, transparent energy platform based on PV power generation and hydrogen production from photo-electrochemical cells. The system is claimed to supply power without interruption and to be transparent enough to be integrated into buildings.
US developers added nearly 10 GW of utility-scale PV in first 10 months of 2021
US solar developers built almost 10 GW of new utility-scale solar in the United States in the first 10 months of last year, which is a record for that time frame.
Uzbekistan launches tender for 300 MW solar park
The Uzbek authorities have said that the 300 MW Guzar Solar PV project will be built in the Guzar district of Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya region.
Chile to hold new renewables auction in June
Storage projects, and projects linked to some storage capacity, will also be entitled to participate in the procurement exercise.
PV-assisted heat pump module facade for power supply, heating, cooling, and ventilation
Designed by scientists in Germany, the module facade has to be integrated with a building’s technical equipment. The rooms behind the facade can be supplied with solar power and at the same time heated, cooled and ventilated.
