Scientists make first attempt to design solar cells based on kusachite
Indian scientists have designed a thin-film solar cell that uses a mineral made of binary copper(II) and bismuth(III) oxide. They identified a cell design with a tin sulfide buffer layer that offers efficiencies close to 27.7%.
Qcells, European consortium launch production line for tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells
South Korea-based Qcells and a research group led by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have established a pilot manufacturing line for silicon-perovskite tandem cells in Thalheim, Germany. The project aims to speed up the technology’s mass manufacturing and market penetration.
Fully autonomous solar panel cleaning robot from Greenleap Robotics
The Lotus A4000 cleaning robot, built with automotive-grade components, is a reliable and hassle-free solution to daily clean and maintain solar plants operating in harsh and arid regions.
Floating PV for water pumping, desalination
An irrigation community has built a 786 kW floating solar array on a small water reservoir in Murcia, Spain. The facility will provide power for a solar water pumping system, a desalination unit, and the community itself.
Transition VC launches INR 400 crore fund for energy startups
Transition VC will invest seed capital in 40 startups across sectors such as e-mobility, green hydrogen, energy storage, net-zero buildings and climate-tech over the next three years.
NREL updates interactive chart of solar cell efficiency
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a new, interactive version of its research cell efficiency chart for a range of PV technologies.
Longi claims world’s highest efficiency for silicon solar cells
Longi said it has achieved a 26.81% efficiency rating for an unspecified heterojunction solar cell, as confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH).
Prescinto to optimize Greek developer’s 70 MW of solar assets
Gujarat-based Prescinto, which provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for clean energy asset management, has entered the European market by securing a deal with Thessaloniki-based SunSolarWind for 70 MW of solar assets.
Elusive longevity
The expected lifetime of PV inverters is significantly shorter than that of modules. In many projects, inverter replacement is included in financial calculations from the start, despite the high costs. Research is being conducted into the causes of faults to develop more durable inverters and components. But plant design can already improve the lifespan of inverters in use today, reports pv magazine Germany’s Marian Willuhn.
Is hydrogen about to have its solar moment?
As Longi and other solar manufacturers kick off massive growth in hydrogen generation capacity, expect large price decreases resulting from steep learning curves, echoing the rapid advances experienced by the solar power industry since the 1970s.
