Developed at the U. S. Ames National Laboratory, the novel magnetocaloric heat pump utilizes gadolinium as the working medium and reportedly matches current vapor-compression heat pumps for weight, cost, and performance. The system is based on a packed-particle bed active magnetic regenerator, a magnetic source composed of permanent magnets and high permeability magnetic steel.

Carrier, a heating solutions provider, introduced a new 4-14 kW line of heat pumps with a coefficient of performance of up to 4.90. The system use propane as the refrigerant and can reportedly reach leaving water temperature of 167 F.

Techno-economic analysis conducted by NREL researchers has shown how perovskite-silicon tandem solar modules could currently hardly compete in cost with incumbent PV panels. Production costs for U.S.-made tandem products were found to range between $0.29/W and $0.42/W, with module efficiencies ranging from 25% to 30%.

Stanford University professor Mark Z. Jacobson spoke to pv magazine about recent research work showing that California could easily rely on a wind-water-solar-dominated large grid. He says the state’s current electricity prices are high because of several reasons that have nothing to do with renewables.

Now available in the North American market, the manufacturer says these heat pumps work with new AI technology and reportedly perform better when connected to a PV system.

The proposed cell is based on indium gallium phosphide (InGaP), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) and germanium (Ge) and has an active area of 0.25 mm2. It can be used for applications in micro-concentrator photovoltaics (CPV).

China-based panel maker JinkoSolar says that its competitor VSUN and its related entities in the United States have infringed on one of its patents.

The researchers of the German institute explained that UV-induced degradation may cause larger than expected efficiency and voltage losses in all dominant cell technologies, including TOPCon devices. The scientists expect that silicon nitride layers could be used to enhance TOPCon UV stability compared to PECVD layers typically utilized in PERC and heterojunction cells.

Panasonic has unveiled a new version of its Eco Cute CO2 heat pump that produces domestic hot water mostly during daytime based on solar radiation data. It integrates a dedicated app to obtain day-ahead solar forecasts and schedule water heating hours for the next day.

New research from Italy shows the importance of considering power plant dispatchability in PV project planning. The scientists claim assessing a project’s levelized cost of energy could be misleading, especially with variable and sometimes negative electricity prices.