Researchers in the U.S. have confirmed the existence of a novel state of the element manganese, first proposed in a journal dating from 1928, which could allow for the development of low-cost, high performance batteries for grid level and other energy storage applications.

Scientists led by Brown University have developed perovskite solar cells, which replace the toxic lead common to many of these material structures with titanium. The researchers say that with further optimization, the material could eventually be ideal for use as a tandem cell layer.

A team of scientists from the University of Rochester has developed a compound which it says could double the effectiveness of redox flow batteries, and ‘transform the energy storage landscape’.

A team from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a novel microscopic technique, which enables them to observe degradation in perovskite materials at the nano-scale and pinpoint key areas to improve the stability and durability of the material.

A report published by TÜV Rheinland, which was commissioned by tracker manufacturer Array Technologies, shows that centralized tracker systems such as those offered by Array Technologies offer an LCOE advantage over other, decentralized system architectures.

A team from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) have developed a polymer based energy storage system, which releases energy on demand as heat. The scientists say that their system utilizes a polymer chain ‘organized like a string of Christmas lights’ and can achieve more than double the storage density of previous polymer based systems.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created a solar cell using colloidal quantum dots, which achieved 13.4% conversion efficiency – a new world record for this emerging technology.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made progress with cathodes made from ‘disordered’ materials, a technology which could greatly increase the storage capacity of lithium batteries.

Leading polysilicon producer REC Silicon posted revenue of $75.5 million in the third quarter – 23% above the previous quarter. REC saw a 38% increase in sales volume, despite polysilicon production for the quarter coming in slightly below guidance.

Semiconductor maker Microlink Devices has signed an exclusive deal with the national lab to commercialize a type of lightweight heterojunction solar cell architecture, which could be utilized in powering satellites and aircraft.