VIPV

The Belgium-based company announced that its panorama-style solar roof for passenger cars is ready for mass production. The glass-glass design features high-efficiency back contact solar cells and a uniform full black appearance.

Dutch specialty module manufacturer Mito Solar now offers PV modules in a wide range of colors for yachting and mobility applications. The colors are enabled by a front-side encapsulant made of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).

Denmark’s Green Energy Group provides vehicle-integrated PV solutions for road transport customers in Europe and North America. Its PV systems feature copper-indium-gallium-selenide thin film technology in solutions that are designed to extend onboard battery life, cut Co2 emissions, and decrease diesel fuel consumption.

A university team in Poland has developed lightweight bifacial vehicle integrated PV (VIPV) mini-modules with back contact cells and glass fiber-reinforced composite sheets. Fabricated in a low-cost process, larger versions of the device are planned for use in a custom-built solar car for international competitions.

IEA-PVPS has conceived a new test method and analysis of the impact of curvature in vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) surfaces. Over the course of an 8-day summertime trial in south-eastern France, the researchers found that the curvature triggered irradiance and temperature non-uniformity of up to 261W/m² and 13 C, respectively.

A European project aims to develop flexible tandem perovskite-CIGS solar technology to make 25%-efficient 100 cm2 modules with a variety of substrates for decentralized solar PV applications. The project entails using processes that are scalable for roll-to-roll production.

Researchers from University of Miyazaki in Japan have published a technical background paper about testing protocols to address the unique challenges of vehicle integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) modules. It features the background on a new numerical probability model that incorporates shading, partial-shading, dynamic shading, uneven terrain and modules’ curvatures.

Sonnenwagen Aachen, a student team from RWTH Aachen University in Germany, secured second and third place at the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2024, sharing the podium with Belgium’s KU Leuven team, which took first place.

Dutch solar PV systems integrator IM Efficiency has launched a complete solar PV system that includes battery and energy management system to power electrical systems on freight carrying trucks and transport trailers.

Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE have tested glass fiber-reinforced polymer as a front cover material vehicle integrated PV modules, finding that it has the potential to reduce weight by 44% to 74 % compared to conventional glass-covered modules. Experimental devices withstood hail tests, avoiding cell cracking after impact.