Author: solarenergy

CSIRO facility launches flexible solar technology for broad real-world use Australia’s CSIRO has inaugurated a new $6.8 million facility in Clayton, Victoria, with the mission to take its flexible, printed solar technology from the laboratory to practical, real-world applications, meeting the growing need for sustainable energy solutions in various industries. Unlike traditional silicon-based solar panels, CSIRO’s flexible solar cells are printed on ultra-thin plastic films. This innovative approach results in solar cells that are both lightweight and portable, ideal for a range of applications including urban infrastructure, space exploration, defense, mining operations, emergency response, disaster recovery and wearable technology. Professor…

Researchers have developed a new deep learning method to predict ultra-short-term PV power using an optimization method based on the behavior of dung beetles. The proposed approach reportedly outperformed seven other conventional forecasting methods over a one-year period. October 30, 2024 Lior Kahana Scientists from China’s Hubei University of Technology have proposed a new deep learning model for ultra-short-term PV power prediction. The new technique combines temporal convolutional networks with self-attention (SATCN), bidirectional long-short-term memory networks (BiLSTM) and dung beetle optimization (DBO) and is therefore called DBO-SATCN-BiLSTM. “Existing methods for predicting photovoltaic energy generation have several shortcomings. Meta-heuristic learning methods,…

A team from Jeonbuk National University in South Korea used slot die coating (SDC) to produce uniform, high-quality perovskite films, which they used in a perovskite solar cell that achieved 19.17% efficiency and laboratory cell-sized modules that achieved an efficiency of 17.42%. October 30, 2024 Valerie Thompson A team from Jeonbuk National University in South Korea explored the use of slot die coating (SDC) to create high-quality uniform perovskite films as a step toward large-area production of perovskite devices. The scientists found that SDC increased the interface roughness of the hole transport layer (HTL), which improved the wettability of the…

Downwind renewable energy (LRE) has completed construction and achieved commercial operation of its 179 MW White Wing Ranch solar project in Yuma County, Arizona. Verizon Communications has supported the development of White Wing Ranch through a long-term power purchase agreement. The completion of White Wing Ranch brings LRE’s operating fleet to more than 3.3 GW. The White Wing Ranch solar project. Downwind renewable energy White Wing Ranch is located on approximately 1,400 acres of privately owned land and will supply renewable energy to the bulk electric grid through the 500 kV Hoodoo Wash Switchyard. This is the first of several…

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has launched a tender for 1 GW of solar energy and 1.8 GW of wind energy. The ceiling prices for solar energy contracts are KRW 157,307 ($113.69)/MWh. October 30, 2024 Patrick Jowett Image: Daniel Bernard, Unsplash The South Korean MOTIE has opened a tender for 1 GW of solar energy. The ministry has released the publication details of the tender procedure, with a ceiling price of KRW 157,307/MWh for proposed solar projects. The ministry said this is an increase from last year’s limit, taking into account recent bid rates. “To promote…

The latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which charts the future evolution of clean energy production, says the combined global market for PV, wind turbines, electric cars, batteries, electrolyzers and heat pumps will rise from $700 billion in 2023 to 700 billion dollars in 2023. more than 2 trillion dollars by 2035. October 30, 2024 Patrick Jowett According to IEA forecasts, global solar panel production capacity will exceed 1.5 TW by 2035. The latest report, “Perspectives on energy technology 2024”, includes the production of solar energy, wind turbines, electric cars, batteries, electrolyzers and heat pumps. The report uses…

Recently, a major interconnector trip caused the UK grid frequency to plummet. At around 8:47 a.m. one morning in early October, the NSL interconnector linking Britain and Norway stopped working suddenly and without warning. Norwegian electricity exports to Britain suddenly fell from 1.4 GW to zero, with immediate and potentially disastrous consequences for the UK electricity grid. The frequency on the network dropped to 49.59 Hz in less than two seconds, a number significantly lower than the National Energy System Operator (NESO) operating limits of 49.8 – 50.2 Hz. Without quick intervention, much of the country’s electricity grid could have…

Australian scientific research agency CSIRO has taken its pilot-scale production of flexibly printed solar film to a new level following the official launch of the new Printed Photovoltaic Facility in south-west Melbourne, Victoria. October 30, 2024 Ev Foley By pv magazine Australia After 15 years, scientists from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have advanced the commercial potential of their flexible perovskite cells, printed on long continuous rolls of flexible plastic film, following the opening of their AUD 6.8 million ($4.4 million) Printed photovoltaic (PV) Facility in Clayton, 23 kilometers southwest of Melbourne. The solar films are thin,…

Standard Solar completed a 3.1 MWDC solar project on Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus in Northampton, Pennsylvania. The company acquired the project from EDF Renewables, who developed the array and collaborated on its construction and completion. Standard Solar is the project’s long-term owner and operator. Credit: Standard Solar “As someone who grew up in the area, it’s gratifying to support Lehigh in its mission to become a sustainability model in higher education,” said Eric Partyka, director of business development, Standard Solar. “This solar installation not only delivers clean energy to the campus but also plays a critical role in advancing the…

Domestically manufactured solar racks and mounts may experience a boon thanks to recently imposed trade tariffs on a range of aluminum products imported from countries around the world. Credit: Adobe Stock The U.S. Department of Commerce imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on aluminum extrusions imported from 14 countries in October. After nearly thirteen months of review, these trade duties cover a list of extruded aluminum products from China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. “In all this [AD/CVD] In some cases you typically see an increase in…