Agrivoltaic facilities with single-axis trackers have lower LCOE than those with fixed structures
New research from Belgium shows agrivoltaic facilities with trackers perform significantly better than projects with fixed structures. The scientists found projects with tracking achieved an LCOE of €0.077 ($0.082)/kWh, while facilities with fixed structures were found to have an LCOE of €0.10/kWh.
Samsung unveils monobloc heat pump for residential applications
Samsung claims its new product is able provide domestic hot water of up to 75 C when the outdoor temperature is between -10 C and 35 C. It relies on an enlarged heat exchanger that the company claims is capable of transferring more heat compared to a conventional outdoor unit.
Longi betting on back-contact solar cell tech
Longi Chairman Zhong Baoshen said last week that that the company’s hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) technology will dominate its production capacity in the future.
New control strategy for PV-powered water pumps operating under variable atmospheric conditions
Scientists in Turkey have developed a new algorithm to optimize the efficiency of PV-powered water pumps. The novel technique is based on the Extended Kalman–Bucy filter, which is a predictor-corrector algorithm used extensively in control systems engineering for estimating unmeasured states of a process.
How to build, finance product stewardship scheme for photovoltaic panels
Researchers in Australia have provided a series of recommendations to set up regulatory frameworks for PV module recycling and reuse. They said that, as a rule of thumb, landfill bans, tracking of the panels’ serial numbers, and a clear definition of ownership should always be included in the legislation for end-of-life solar products.
How long do residential solar panels last?
Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of this series, we look at the solar panels themselves.
Toshiba unveils silicon carbide MOSFET for PV inverters
Toshiba has developed a 2,200 V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET for inverters and energy storage systems, in order to help inverter manufacturers to reduce the size and weight of their products.
EnerVenue launches new metal-hydrogen battery variant
EnerVenue has developed a new metal-hydrogen battery. The US startup says the battery’s efficiency ranges from 80% to 90%, depending on the cycle rate, and claims that its energy density per square foot is equal to or even better than lithium-ion batteries.
India approves viability gap funding scheme for battery storage development
India aims to develop 4 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by 2030-31 through its viability gap funding (VGF) scheme. The selection of BESS developers for VGF grants will undergo a transparent, competitive bidding process.
Ascent Solar hits 15.2% efficiency in production trials for CIGS cell
Ascent Solar has achieved a 15.2% efficiency for a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) cell in production trials by replacing cadmium sulfide with a new material in the manufacturing process.
