Sunrise brief: Americans beginning to correlate extreme weather with a climate crises, but purse strings are still tight
Also on the rise: Solar panels power the James Webb telescope. Tennessee Valley Authority seeks 5 GW of carbon-free energy. And more.
Solar panels power the James Webb telescope
Our deepest view into the universe is powered by PV. NASA was one of the earliest adopters of solar technology, and it continues to be an important feature of spacecraft today.
Americans beginning to correlate extreme weather with a climate crises, but purse strings are still tight
A recent poll found that 70% of Americans see climate change as a crisis or major problem. And while 78% of Americans reported being personally affected by extreme weather, only 39% are willing to take on costs to prevent it.
Role of UV in solar cell degradation
US scientists have tested a range of modern cell designs under strong ultraviolet light and have found that many of them, including p-type PERC and n-type heterojunction cells, are more susceptible to degradation than older back surface field designs. They noted that the rear side of bifacial cells may be particularly vulnerable.
EV battery recycling startup claims 95% recovery yield using 10 times less energy
An MIT spinoff, SiTration, uses a novel conductive membrane that recovers critical materials from end-of-life electric vehicle batteries using up to 10 times less energy than conventional thermal and chemical applications.
There’s big money in recycling materials from solar panels
Recycling solar panels keeps them out of landfills, but also provides much-needed raw materials with Rystad Energy projecting a value approaching $80 billion by 2050.
The stabilizing effect of vertical east-west oriented PV systems
German researchers have looked at how vertical PV systems could provide more electricity during periods of higher demand, while enabling a higher level of integration with agricultural activities.
A single solar panel can offset the carbon emissions of 10 trees
Using broad average values of 48.5 pounds of carbon sequestration per year for a mature tree, versus 0.85 pounds of emissions offset per kilowatt-hour of solar electricity, it’s clear that some tree clearing is acceptable from an emissions standpoint.
Sunrise brief: New world record of 31.25% efficiency for tandem perovskite-silicon solar cell
Also on the rise: Battery storage use more than tripled in the US in 2021. One-third of global PV manufacturing capacity is at medium or high risk of bankruptcy, IEA says. And more.
TrueCapture boosts solar plant performance in field tests
Nextracker’s smart tracker yield-optimization and control software helped Arevon realize a more than 2% increase in production at its 38 MW Beacon 5 solar project in Kern County, California.
