Author: solarenergy
The German research institute said the new 120µm thin solar cell could achieve an efficiency of more than 25% in the next optimization steps. The device was metallized via screen-printed contact fingers and calibrated by scientists at the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin. May 29, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Solar cell in M10 format manufactured in the PV-TEC at Fraunhofer ISEImage: Fraunhofer ISEGermany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) today unveiled a 120 µm thin solar cell type based on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology and M10 (182 mm) wafers.The research institute claims to be the first…
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Risks Report, climate change risks are now classified as worlds’ biggest threats. The Urgency of Climate Change Risks Failure to take climate action and extreme weather events top the list of threats for the next 5-10 years. These risks lead to additional environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation. In 2022, environmental risks dominated the top five global risks for the first time. Financial Impact on Global Companies Climate-related risks significantly impact a company’s revenues, costs, operations, and strategy. A 2019 report found that over 200 of the…
The Treasury Department and the IRS will release soon proposed guidance on the updated Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The Inflation Reduction Act repeals the existing PTC (Sec. 45 of the Tax Code) and ITC (Sec. 48) by limiting their availability to projects that begin construction before 2025. Instead, they will switch to the technology-neutral ‘clean electricity production credit’. (Sec. 45Y) and “Clean Electricity Investment Credit (Sec. 48E) for projects commissioned after December 31, 2024. The recognized technologies include wind, solar, hydro, marine and hydrokinetic, nuclear fission and fusion, geothermal and certain types of waste energy…
InstaGroup has been in the energy efficiency industry for almost 45 years, supplying materials to SME installers and gaining access to financing such as the Energy Company Obligation. Image: InstaGroup. Midsummer, a wholesale distributor of renewable energy systems, has partnered with InstaGroup to enable the company to launch its first fully connected solar PV system, InstaGen. In addition to panels, battery storage and inverters, InstaGen offers a user-friendly app. Consumers can use the technology to monitor their InstaGen system and energy consumption. InstaGroup has been in the energy efficiency industry for almost 45 years, supplying materials to SME installers and…
Scientists in South Africa have proposed a new design of a chalcogenide perovskite solar cell based on a compound known as barium zirconium sulfide. They tested different hole transport materials in the new device and found that a polymer known as P3HT provided the best performance. May 29, 2024 Emiliano BelliniA team of scientists led by the University of Fort Hare in South Africa has designed a perovskite solar cell with an absorber made from a chalcogenide perovskite material known as barium zirconium sulfide (BaZrS3).Metal chalcogenide perovskites, with their non-toxic elemental composition, are known to provide greater thermal and aqueous…
Researchers in Italy have found that combining residential air-source heat pumps with air-geothermal heat exchangers can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%. They tested the proposed combination using Matlab in a passive single-family building in Valtellina, northern Italy. May 29, 2024 Emiliano BelliniResearchers from the University of Padua in Italy have proposed improving the performance of residential air source heat pumps with air-geothermal heat exchangers and found that this combination can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%.The scientists assessed how the proposed combination would perform in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system deployed in a passive…
Scientists in India have proposed using a multi-layer neural network to find line-to-ground, line-to-line and bypass diode faults in PV module strings. They tested the new approach on a 22.5 kW solar panel and reportedly achieved “competitive” accuracy results. May 29, 2024 Lior KahanaA group of researchers from India have proposed a new PV string error detection technique for PV strings that uses multi-layer neural network (MLNN), a machine learning technique that can handle complex relationships by learning their hierarchical representations.“Line-to-ground (LG) and line-to-line (LL) faults are detected, classified and located using the proposed technique,” the academics said. “The proposed…
The Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), held every ten years since 1994, kicked off this week in St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda with a strong message: that major changes in international finance are needed to achieve a to create a level playing field for sustainable development in the world’s island nations, and that larger countries and industries bear responsibility for the impacts of climate change, and do more to fulfill their commitments to mitigating it. May 28, 2024 Mark Hutchins“We recognize SIDS’s need for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, especially renewable energy. SIDS…
Today, the Treasury Department and other federal agencies (including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy) issued a joint statement identifying seven principles to be applied to voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), i.e., carbon credits. (Simply put, a carbon credit reflects a payment to a supplier in exchange for guaranteeing that a certain amount of carbon has been removed from the atmosphere – a crucial action to combat climate change.) There has been a lot of controversy surrounding carbon markets, as “researchers , journalists and other observers have found that several popular credit methodologies and activities relying on them…
India’s solar panel exports stood at $1.9 billion in the 2023-2024 financial year, with shipments to the US market accounting for the lion’s share of the total. May 28, 2024 Uma Gupta By pv magazine IndiaIndia’s solar panel exports rose 91% to $1.9 billion in the 2023-2024 financial year. The US market was the largest destination, accounting for 98.5% of India’s total PV module exports. According to data from India’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, exports to South Africa amounted to $4.73 million.India’s imports of solar panels stood at $4,353.51 million in FY 2023-2024, up 361% from $943.52 million in…