The Department of Energy wants you!
The Solar Energy Technologies Office is seeking feedback from solar professionals on what topics it ought research within solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, systems integration and soft cost reduction.
First Solar sees a doubling coming in 2019
The PV maker projects 5.4 to 5.6 GW of solar module shipments next year, more than double its current projected 2018 volumes of 2.6 to 2.7 GW.
Solar module lifetime predictions are getting better
NREL has proposed a new methodology for determining solar module degradation rates, taking into account measurement challenges such as sensor drift, inverter nuances, soiling and others – keeping the focus on the solar modules themselves.
SolarWindow Technologies invests $25 million in manufacturing lines and hiring
Founder and Chair Harmel Rayat is the source of the cash raise. The organic photovoltaic solar cell film technology has scaled from its original one quarter the size of a grain of rice to a one foot square glass pane.
Mars electricity generation record set with 29.5% efficient solar cell
The NASA InSight lander generated 4,588 watt-hours during sol 1, a new record for electricity generation on Mars.
Tesla Powerwall & Sono Motors solar car pricing up due to energy storage demand
Strong demand for electric cars from both Tesla and other manufacturers has pushed up manufacturer costs for lithium ion batteries.
SunPower retools former SolarWorld factory for P-Series
The high efficiency PV maker has already brought in all the tools for making its shingled P-Series product in Oregon, aiming to begin ramping in January.
Change the rules, add powerlines to let renewables plus storage aim for 90% of the grid
The Wind Solar Alliance has proposed a set of broad market rule refinements to better take advantage of the technical capabilities of solar, wind and energy storage. They argue that these rule changes, plus transmission, can allow for much higher levels of renewables.
All I want for Christmas is a 90% efficient solar panel
NovaSolix hopes to use carbon nanotubes to capture a broader portion of the sun’s electromagnetic spectrum, a process they hope will yield a 90% efficient solar cell at a tenth of the cost of modern solar modules.
A 15% efficient solar window that delivers 40% of US electricity
University of Michigan team hopes to offer a 15% efficient solar window product, that allows 50% of the light through, and have received $1.3 million from the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop it further.
