German solar plant cleared to provide secondary control reserve
Sunnic Lighthouse says Germany’s first prequalified solar project for secondary control reserve shows how quickly PV assets can move into advanced grid-services markets.
Reducing PV module temperature with twisted tape
Researchers in Iran have investigated how twisted tape in water-cooled channels can enhance heat transfer in solar modules. They have used a computer simulation to analyze the new approach with different parameters and have found the panels’ ectrical efficiency increased by up to 11.84%.
S-5! launches new clamp for solar carports
The US mounting system provider said its new product is designed to fit both Cee and Zee purlin-framed structures. It features a bottom-oriented setscrew.
‘It’s not a matter of sodium versus lithium, we need both’
A US research team has developed all-solid-state sodium batteries that retain performance down to subzero temperatures. The systems utilize a special chloride-based solid-electrolyte-coated cathode.
Fraunhofer ISE builds first perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with copper metallization
Using the mask-and-plate copper metallization technique, scientists at the German research center fabricated a 1.21 cm² perovskite–silicon tandem solar cell featuring a heterojunction bottom device. The cell achieved an efficiency of 19.35%, reportedly the highest value reached to date for this cell type using galvanic front metallization.
Open-access, modular monitoring platform for multi-year outdoor PV testing
A team of researchers in Canada has developed the Jericho Open Resistive Data Logger—an open-access photovoltaic (PV) monitoring platform that integrates data acquisition and processing hardware, a software framework, and a comprehensive sensor array. Designed primarily for agrivoltaic applications, the system has a total estimated cost of around $2,000.
Antaisolar launches single-axis tracker
The Chinese company says its AT-spark has a length of up to 143 m and a rotation range of 60°. It can accommodate up to 120 solar modules.
Peak Energy to supply up to 4.75 GWh of sodium-ion batteries to Jupiter Power
In a major milestone for the two-year-old Series A startup and the broader stationary energy storage sector, US-based Peak Energy has signed a supply agreement potentially worth more than $500 million.
Inverted perovskite solar cell based on self-assembled monolayer achieves 26.92% efficiency
Researchers in China have developed an inverted perovskite solar cell approaching the 27% efficiency threshold. The device incorporates a specially designed self-assembled monolayer that passivates perovskite defects and enhances efficiency.
Vertical bifacial agrivoltaics feasible at high latitudes with 8-meter row spacing
New research from Finland shows how spacing between solar modules plays a key role in determing power and crop yield. The scientists found that, at a separation of 8 m, crops received at least 75% of irradiation, which is expected to result in minimal impact compared with an unshaded scenario.
