A research team from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has analyzed n-type modules deployed in a 3 MW commercial PV project in an effort to assess the high degradation rate reported by the plant owner. The scientists found that ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) was a major factor affecting the facility’s performance.

Jetson said its new heat pump system has a coefficient of performance of up to 4.1 and an energy efficiency rating of up to 11.7. The new product integrates air quality sensors, an energy monitor, and a “smart” thermostat.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has warned that cellular radios have been found in unspecified foreign-made inverters and batteries used in PV highway infrastructure, according to Reuters. pv magazine speaks with cybersecurity expert Uri Sadot about the risks.

Sandia National Labs researchers have created a new dataset on the rates and types of rooftop PV connector failures. Their analysis has shown that tight wire bending radius, extra dirty connectors, and loose nuts are the most common failure causes in 6,276 connectors deployed between 2014 and 2017 across seven U.S. regions.

Scientists from Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States have investigated existing back-contact perovskite solar cell architectures and have proposed a strategy to help reach commercial production.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Labs have created a new nomenclature for PV connectors to reduce confusion amongst installers and developers, while improving deployment practices. They catalogued a sampling of twenty-five commercially available 4 mm connectors.

Carrier, a U.S.-based heating solutions provider, said its new AquaSnap 30RQM heat pump system can deliver a water temperature of up to 60 C. The modular system features a heating capacity of 70 kW to 1,125 kW and a cooling capacity of 77 kW to 1,237 kW.

A research team have fabricated a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) that is reportedly 15 times more efficient than current state-of-the-art devices by concentrating on the managing the hot and the cold sides of the device rather its semiconductor materials.

Carrier, a U.S.-based heating solutions provider, has introduced a new heat pump system featuring a cooling seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER2) of up to 29.7 and a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF2) of up to 12.2.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 146 kg of methamphetamine concealed in a recent shipment of solar panels at Los Angeles International Airport.