Technology

Madurai Kamaraj University scientists have used a pouch laminator to encapsulate a polycrystalline solar cell. The resulting device, the researchers claim, showed better UV photon absorption than solar cells treated with a polymer surface coating.

A study by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has evaluated the feasibility of horticulture PV at the site of Paras in Akola district of Maharashtra, where the state utility Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd (Mahagenco) is considering to install a ground-mounted solar system on more than 100 hectare (ha) of arable land.

MIT scientists have suggested used electric vehicle batteries could offer a more viable business case than purpose-built systems for the storage of grid scale solar power in California. Such ‘second life’ EV batteries, may cost only 60% of their original purchase price to deploy and can be effectively aggregated for industrial scale storage even if they have declined to 80% of their original capacity.

German development agency GIZ has hired DNV GL to study control reserve requirements of India’s southern states. The study—part of the Indo-German Energy Programme—will help ensure efficient and cost-effective integration of large-scale renewable energy supplies in the region.

Indian scientists have developed a hybrid production method combining metal mesh and a metal-oxide layer over a glass substrate which they say brings down production cost by 80% compared to the tin-doped, indium oxide-based technology currently in use.

All the JinkoSolar PV modules shipped to India during January to March period of 2020 are based on mono PERC technology, comprising full-cell and half-cell modules.

Researchers in Australia have conducted a ‘cradle to grave’ life cycle assessment (LCA) of the four most widely used PV technologies. The academics say that cadmium telluride solar modules have the lowest life cycle impact, followed by amorphous, multi and monocrystalline silicon products.

The inefficiency and irregularity of cleaning the solar panels manually, and the associated use of water defeat the purpose of shifting to renewable energies.

The integrated power producer, which has 138 MW of operational solar capacity and 2730 MW of state-of-the-art gas based power plants, sees opportunity of flexible generation to sell pooled round-the-clock power [renewable + gas] at competitive cost on a long-term basis.

Light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) of PV cells can have far-reaching impacts on the efficiency of modules. Alison Ciesla and Brett Hallam of the University of New South Wales argue that accelerated testing, such as that included in the forthcoming IEC standards, is critical for LeTID identification and quantification in order to manage these impacts.