Emiliano Bellini
Sharp unveils 580 W TOPCon solar panel with 22.45% efficiency
Sharp’s new IEC61215- and IEC61730-certified solar panels have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C and a bifaciality factor of over 80%.
PV commissioning times up by 6 months over past 20 years, claim scientists
Scientists in Switzerland used project-level data from BloombergNEF to analyze completion times of renewable energy projects across 48 countries. They have found that average commissioning times have increased over the past two decades for all clean energy technologies.
Johnson Controls unveils water-to-water screw heat pump
Johnson Controls says its new screw heat pump is able to deliver high-temperature hot water as high as 176 F. The system reportedly has a combined coefficient of performance of 4.1.
Meyer Burger to cease PV module production in Germany
Meyer Burger, a Switzerland-based heterojunction cell and panel manufacturer, says it will stop making PV modules in Germany, but it will continue to produce solar cells in the country to support its panel production operations in the United States.
New solar tree design offers improved module cooling, lower shading losses
Researchers in Hungary have proposed to build photovoltaic trees with a significant distance between the solar panels. The proposed sunflower-shaped design reportedly reduces shading losses between the panels while improving cooling and heat dissipation.
Johnson Controls unveils water-to-water heat pump for commercial buildings
Johnson Controls says its new 1,406 kW compound centrifugal heat pump is able to deliver high-temperature hot water as high as 170.6 F. The system reportedly has a combined coefficient of performance of 4.9.
Using waste heat from PV panels to generate residential hot water
Scientists in the United States has developed a new photovoltaic-thermal system design that utilizes parallel water pipes as a cooling system to reduce the operating temperature of photovoltaic panels. The waste heat generated by this process is then used to generate domestic hot water.
Canadian startup unveils residential air source heat pump for cold climates
Terravis Energy said its heat pump prototype uses difluoromethane (R32) as the refrigerant and has a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of approximately 3.0 under Ontario’s environmental conditions.
All solar cell efficiencies at a glance
The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 63 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are six new results reported in the new version.
Agrivoltaics may increase forage quality in semi-arid regions
New research from the United States showed agrivoltaic plants on grassland may not only maintain grass productivity but also increase forage quality. The scientists took their measurements at the Jack’s Solar Garden (JSG), an elevated, south-oriented agrivoltaic research facility using single-axis-tracking systems near Longmont, Colorado.
