Technology

A new French study highlights the potential of ultra-thin PV cells, but the road to commercial production will be challenging. The researchers have proposed a series of novel cell architectures integrating photonic and electronic elements.

A new Indian study shows that standalone PV systems combined with pumped storage could be a solution to energy poverty in developing nations. This easily deployable, chemical-free approach might be best in countries that lack battery-recycling rules, the researchers said.

Researchers in India have developed a new method to operate a solar-plus-storage system in a stable manner under varying operating conditions. They claim that their novel technique enables the regulation of the DC link voltage and is able to compensate reactive power while supplying active power to a local load in grid-connected operation.

Compared to other techniques based on chemical reactors and organic solvents, the proposed method is said to be able to maintain a “good mechanical yield” in the recovered solar cells. According to its creators, this technique allows the reuse of silicon from the recycled panels in the production of new solar cells.

A U.S.-Finnish research team has developed an after-market method to adapt commercially available flexible thin-film solar panels for applications in floating PV projects. The special panel design can be applied to three types of floating materials, including neoprene, mincell, and polyethylene.

Netherlands-based Floating Solar says its pilot floating PV project at the port of Rotterdam has been able to withstand four severe storms.

Scientists have fabricated a working battery using a new type of dual-ion chemistry. The design avoids many of the rare or expensive materials found in today’s lithium-ion batteries, and also comes with an inherently lower risk of fire. The battery showed promising performance, and its creators say they have identified several areas where performance could potentially be improved.

Sun’Agri and RGreen Invest have launched an initiative aimed at deploying around 300 agrivoltaic projects in France by 2025.

According to the manufacturer, the range of its pedestal bearings for the solar sector has a service life of more than 72 years.

New outdoor tests conducted at Saudi research center King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have shown that an increase in temperature affects the performance of a tandem perovskite/silicon solar cell not only because of voltage losses but also because of current mismatch between the two sub-cells.