Author: solarenergy

British-based PV specialist Lightricity and Japanese capacitor manufacturer Nichicon have developed a PV-powered Bluetooth switch to remotely control home or office equipment such as lights, sliding doors or appliances. May 31, 2024 Valerie ThompsonUK indoor PV specialist Lightricity has integrated its energy harvesting modules with a rechargeable lithium titanate (LTO) battery supplied by Japan’s Nichicon and ultra-low power components into a new touch switch that can be used to control home and office equipment such as rotary and on lighting, opening and closing electronic doors, or activating devices.The two companies plan to release a product based on the switch hardware…

FTC solar energy, a manufacturer of solar trackers, has launched its Automated Hail Stow Solution, aimed at minimizing damage to solar panels caused by hail storms. The solution combines proprietary and meteorological data to automatically adjust the positioning of solar panels, reducing the risk of hail damage. “We are excited to introduce our Automated Hail Stow Solution, which provides a proactive approach to mitigating hail-related damage to solar panel installations,” said Andrew Morse, senior software director at FTC Solar. “By combining advanced technology with meteorological insights, we want to provide our customers with greater peace of mind and protection for…

Total Energies and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) dedicated the Orinda Photovoltaic Solar Energy Project (Orinda PV) in Oakland, California.Orinda PV is EBMUD’s largest solar facility, designed, built, owned and operated by TotalEnergies. The 4.6 MW project will provide the non-profit water utility with approximately 10 million kWh of clean solar energy per year under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), significantly offsetting EBMUD’s greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating its progress utility in the field of sustainability is promoted. target of carbon neutrality by 2030. “The Orinda PV project represents a leap in EBMUD’s clean energy production and…

JinkoSolar has announced that it has achieved a conversion efficiency of 33.24% of its n-type TOPCon-based perovskite tandem solar cell, as tested by the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The tandem solar cell used Jinko’s n-type high-efficiency monocrystalline TOPCon solar cell as the bottom cell. This conversion efficiency for the perovskite/TOPCon tandem solar cell was achieved through several materials and technological innovations, including ultra-thin poly-Si passivated contact technology, new light trapping technology, an intermediate recombination layer with high light transmission and high carrier mobility, and efficient surface passivation technology using hybrid materials. This achievement…

High proton conductivity achieved in new perovskite materials Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed a new perovskite, BaSc0.8W0.2O2.8, which exhibits high proton conductivity at low and intermediate temperatures. This progress is achieved by donor doping with large W6+ cations, which increases water uptake and reduces proton capture. These findings could lead to the development of new perovskites for protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) and proton conductive electrolysis cells (PCECs). Fuel cells are becoming critical in converting chemical energy into electrical energy as part of global clean energy initiatives. Of these, PCFCs, which use solid electrolytes,…

Chinese wafer manufacturer TCL Zhonghuan says it wants to invest about $197.5 million to increase its stake in Maxeon from 22.39% to at least 50.1%. This is what a Maxeon spokesperson said pv magazine that the plan would put the company in a solid financial position. May 31, 2024 Vincent Shaw and Emiliano Bellini TCL Zhonghuan HeadquartersImage: TCL ZhonghuanTCL Zhonghuan has unveiled a plan to become the majority shareholder of Singapore-based solar panel maker Maxeon. The Chinese company said it would complete the deal through a number of financial transactions, including the issuance of convertible bonds and additional shares through…

The future location of the Town Farm Solar Park. Image: UK renewables. East Suffolk Council has granted planning permission for the Park Farm Solar Park to British Solar Renewables (BSR), the second BSR project it has approved this year. The Park Farm Solar Park will have a peak capacity of 21 MW and will be located on a 26.39 hectare site approximately 1.5 kilometers outside Wickham Market, Suffolk. In January this year, BSR successfully secured planning permission for another solar project of similar size in East Suffolk, the Town Farm Solar Park. Carla Hardaker, development director at BSR said: “These…

An old-growth forest in Madre de Dios, Peru, where deforestation continued despite REDD+ carbon credits, on July 4, 2023. Angela Ponce for The Washington Post via Getty Images Why you can trust us Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing high-quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes and solutions. After multiple scientific studies showed that carbon offsets are not as reliable as once thought, the market value of carbon offsets has fallen by about 61% compared to its near-peak value in 2022, a new report shows. In early 2023, a major…

FTC Solar has developed a hail storage strategy that positions solar panels to minimize the impact of hail and wind, based on a partnership with VDE Americas. May 31, 2024 Anne Fischer By pv magazine USAHail can cause significant damage to solar installations and is the main cause of half of insured project losses, according to risk expert VDE Americas. Although hail cannot be avoided, damage can be prevented by tilting the solar panels on a tracker, also called stowing, and turning the modules away from the hail.FTC Solar, a Texas-based solar tracker specialist, has introduced the Automated Hail Stow…

The new BESS will have a capacity of 1GW. Image: Pidgeon Investment Management. Teesworks, the UK’s largest industrial zone, has unveiled plans for a 1GW battery energy storage system (BESS) in partnership with renewables developer NatPower. The project will be built across 50 hectares of the Long Acres portion of the 4,500 hectare Teesworks site. Construction costs are expected to be around £1 billion. While the main plan for the BESS focuses on renewable energy storage, the company also noted that the system could also support electric vehicle (EV) charging in the future. In a LinkedIn post announcing the development,…