Technology

Also on the rise: DOE introduces five-year plan for reducing environmental impacts of solar. Three Wisconsin utilities to buy stake in $433 million Paris solar-plus-storage project. A group of 22 bi-partisan California legislators call on regulators to maintain net metering. Maxeon to provide 400MW of solar modules to Origis Energy. Source Renewables, Sol-REIT partner to develop 100MW of low-income solar.

DOE’s five-year plan aims to reduce the environmental impacts of solar panels at the end of life, plus cut in half the cost of recycling the panels.

Also on the rise: Advanced conductors could enable 27GW more renewable power per year. Solar-powered data server network developed to frame the internet as a natural resource. Stanford flips the switch on new solar array, powering campus with 100% renewables. Project between Maui Electric and Paeahu Solar moves forward. Global tracker provider FTC Solar posts 130% growth in 2021. Newer and larger solar plants perform better, while older plants pick up steam with repowering.

“Advanced conductors” can deliver more electricity than conventional transmission lines, using existing transmission towers. Renewables trade group ACORE calls for greater use of advanced conductors, “to accelerate low-cost decarbonization.”

The Solar Protocol website maps solar exposure across the globe, activating data cloud centers when the sun shines. Developed by the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the project intends to draw attention to the energy intensity of data processing, and to offer a more climate-friendly solution.

US government lab sees utility scale solar fleet degrading faster than projected at 1.2% a year, while newer and larger plants are degrading at only 0.7% a year. Older plants appear to be getting repowered in year seven, yielding lasting performance increases.

The Department of Energy’s durable materials consortium is a multi-laboratory unit that stress-tests solar modules for durability. It seeks to extend the useful life of PV.

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a system that can be operated at a voltage of around 12V, with a 95% recovery rate for lost power after cleaning. The waterless system can be operated automatically via an electric motor.

The new device is based on an inverted metamorphic multi-junction (IMM) cell technology developed by Rocket Lab’s unit Solaero. The cell can be used in applications in the civil, military, and commercial space markets.

This week has seen NASA announce the completion of a new folding array set to power a mission deep into our solar system, while scientists continue to work on new applications to take such explorations even further from the sun. New measurements also promise routes to higher efficiency in cadmium-telluride PV, and details emerge of one of thinnest solar cells seen so far.