Author: solarenergy
A research team from two Chinese universities claims to have produced an organic solar cell with the highest power-to-weight ratio yet. The device has a thickness of less than 1.5 micrometers. July 4, 2024 Patrick JowettResearchers from Wuhan University of Technology and Central South University, Changsha in China have created an ultra-thin technology organic solar cell with a double-layer hole transport layer (HTL) and a power-to-weight ratio of 39 W/g.Wenchao Huang, the lead author of the study, said pv magazine that, as far as the group knows, it has the highest power-to-weight ratio among organic solar cells. The device has…
The Larks Green project in South Gloucestershire, where the PV part is already operational. Image: Cero Generation / Enso Energy. BESS units are being shipped to Cero Generation’s Larks Green solar and storage project, the first to be connected at the transmission level, the company said. The South Gloucestershire project has a 120MW grid connection and a 50MW battery energy storage system (BESS) will be added to the 50MW of solar PV that has been operational since May last year. Construction of the BESS is underway and it will make the project the first solar and storage project to be…
The German research institute ISC Konstanz has developed a new method to measure the contact resistance of solar cell connections made with electrically conductive adhesives (ECA). The proposed approach reportedly enables the accurate characterization of both contact resistance and bulk resistance. July 4, 2024 Valerie ThompsonResearchers from the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz (ISC Konstanz) in Germany have developed a new method to measure the contact resistance of solar cell connections made with electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs).ECAs are made of adhesive polymers with embedded metallic filler particles, such as silver. They can be used in solar PV designs based…
Three pumped hydro projects that would deliver a combined 1,035 MW/9,480 MWh of dispatchable capacity are among six projects declared critical infrastructure critical to the state by the New South Wales government in Australia. July 4, 2024 David CarollBy pv magazine AustraliaThe New South Wales (NSW) government has identified six renewable energy projects, including three large-scale pumped hydro stations and a trio of electricity transmission projects, as high-priority infrastructure projects that are essential to the state for economic reasons.NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully announced that all six projects have now been declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) because “they are…
Enviromena develops, builds, owns and operates renewable energy assets worldwide and manages more than 300 MW of renewable energy projects. Image: Enviromena. Clean energy solutions company Enviromena has reached financial close on the development of its 70MW Medebridge Solar Farm in Essex. The £30m deal, concluded with Close Brothers Energy as part of a wider facility agreed in December 2023, includes a development and term loan facility. The facility will be used to finance the construction and operation of the solar farm near South Ockendon. Once operational, the large-scale project will generate more than 71,000 MWh per year. Construction is…
Power outages are increasing across the country as climate change increasingly brings wildfires, heat waves and severe weather. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of California recently set up funding to help communities create “resilience hubs” that rely on solar and battery systems to provide backup power to residents. A new study in the journal Risk analysis finds that strategically placing resiliency hubs throughout California could generate up to 8 GW of solar energy and reduce the state’s carbon emissions by 5 million metric tons per year. Resilience hubs, located in community facilities such as schools, community…
The World Bank has approved $1.5 billion to boost low-carbon energy in India. This operation aims to fuel India’s green hydrogen market, expand renewable energy and boost financing of low-carbon projects. The funding, announced on June 29, represents the second phase of the Programmatic development policy operation for low-carbon energy. Transforming India’s renewable energy market with a $1.5 billion investment plan India, the fastest growing massive economy in the world, will continue its rapid expansion. To decouple this growth from emissions, scaling up renewable energy, especially in hard-to-fight industrial sectors, is essential. This strategy aims to increase production and consumption…
Scientists in the UK and Finland publish a new model for analyzing thin-film and other PV devices with low charge carrier mobility. The uniform diode equation for thin-film PV is claimed to provide insights into the mechanisms driving charge collection limitation and energy conversion efficiency in low-mobility PV devices. July 3, 2024 Matthew LynasPhysicists in the UK and Finland have developed a new analytical model that they claim could improve the understanding of thin-film PV, leading to greater efficiency.Researchers from Swansea University and Åbo Akademi University wanted to create a better method for analyzing sandwich-type thin-film PV based on undoped…
More than 5,800 solar panels, manufactured by Italy’s Enel, have been delivered to Ukraine to power healthcare facilities. July 3, 2024 Patrick Jowett Ukrainian National Military Medical CenterImage: Dmytro Doroshenko, Wikimedia CommonsUkraine has received a total of 5,876 solar panels made available within the framework of the Ray of Hope project, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the European Commission.The panels, manufactured by the Italian company Enel SpA, have a total capacity of approximately 2 MW. They will be supplied to healthcare institutions in the Zhytomyr, Volyn, Khmelnytskyi, Kiev…
Hydrovolt opens battery recycling plant in France Norwegian battery recycling company Hydrovolt said on Tuesday it will expand internationally by opening a factory in France, boosting an emerging hub for electric vehicle battery production. The factory will open in the town of Hordain, in what will become known as France’s Battery Valley, while four major battery production facilities will be opened. “This is a major milestone for Hydrovolt,” CEO Ole-Christen Enger said in a statement. “Access to the French market will help us maintain our position as a leading European recycler of EV and industrial batteries,” he added. Hydrovolt is…