Technology

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.

The owner of the Tungsten Mountain Geothermal Unit is researching the addition of 18 MW of solar PV to power some, or all, of the site’s parasitic electric load.

An analysis of a First Solar power plant in Tampa, Florida suggests that by operating solar plants with more flexibility operators can save money for ratepayers – while also allowing for significantly higher penetration levels of renewables.

The NASA InSight lander generated 4,588 watt-hours during sol 1, a new record for electricity generation on Mars.

Per the EIA, electricity generation from solar PV grew 29%, year to date, 2018 over 2017, through the end of the 3rd quarter. So far this year, solar PV has supplied just over 2.3% of the total electricity generated in the United States.

A team of scientists at Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg has set an efficiency record of 12.25% for a non-fullerene based organic solar cell.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (ISE) has set a new world record for PV module efficiency. Scientists at the institute achieved 41.4% efficiency for a solar module using both tandem cell and high-concentration PV technology.

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 new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology finds that from 1980 to 2012 government and private R&D was the biggest driver, and that policies to stimulate demand drove both private R&D and economies of scale.

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.