Sound waves could bring III-V solar cell costs down to Earth
Researchers show the potential of a new sonic liftoff technique in reducing manufacturing costs of highly efficient III-V solar cells.
Fraunhofer ISE unveils 15.8%-efficient organic solar cell
Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE has achieved a world record efficiency for organic cells at the lab level. It now aims to bring the PV technology to market maturity.
Fracking enables record power and flow rates for geothermal pilot project
Fervo Energy employed drilling strategies from the oil and gas industry in a commercial pilot project that demonstrated round-the-clock baseload production of geothermal energy.
High-voltage mini solar panel converts laser light into electricity
Scientists developed a monocrystalline solar panel relying on “minicells” based on polysilicon on silicon oxide passivating contacts. The module works with laser light and can reportedly achieve a photoconversion efficiency of over 40% and an open-circuit voltage of 7 V.
Sunrise brief: Bifacial perovskites show 93% backside efficiency
Also on the rise: First Solar inks 5 GW supply deal with Energix. EPA announces two grant opportunities for clean tech projects. And more.
Perovskites show 93% bifaciality
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory demonstrated highly bifacial perovskite cells with a front side efficiency of 23%.
Indiana utility activates first 465 MW solar projects
The projects are part of NIPSCO’s 2.4 GW clean energy fleet replacing a coal generation portfolio to be retired in the coming years.
Ericsson solar-plus-storage microgrid to power Texas 5G station
The mobile networking company is using six bifacial 400 W solar panels assembled with three lithium-ion battery packs on a company rooftop in Plano, Texas.
Flow battery capacity and longevity boosted by an unexpected ingredient
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory demonstrated the use of sugar water to improve the performance of flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage.
Missouri municipal utility to launch 20-year community solar program
The initial framework calls for Columbia Water & Light to distribute solar energy using a net billing system from its first two projects in the municipality, Truman and Bernadette Fields, whose 1 MW of clean energy capacity is divided into 1.5 kW blocks for residential customers, with 15% of power capacity available to eligible low-income residents.
