Sunrise brief: It’s time to combat utility opposition to solar
Also on the rise: U.S. Army builds further resilience with flow battery pilot project at Fort Carson. Cooling down solar modules by increasing space between panel rows. And more.
Solar tiles connected to an air heat pump
Germany’s Paxos is currently testing the solar tile in a testing facility connected to an air heat pump. The panel can provide heat and electricity at the same time, while also improving the heat pump’s coefficient of performance by around 25%.
Cooling down solar modules by increasing space between panel rows
A U.S. research team claims to have demonstrated that increasing the spacing of solar panels between rows improves PV system efficiency and economics by allowing airflow to cool down the modules. The method could improve a project’s LCOE by as much as 2.15% in certain climates.
Semi-solid flow battery tech promises to lower production costs by up to 40%
While still using conventional lithium-ion raw materials, 24M’s technology is said to reduce the number of steps required to manufacture battery cells and thereby the cost by up to 40%. The US company’s SemiSolid design is also said to deliver improved energy density, safety and recyclability.
Non-flammable, graphene-based lithium-ion batteries approaching stationary storage market
Nanotech Energy’s graphene battery uses proprietary electrodes with a thermally stable separator, and non-flammable electrolyte that is said to be inexpensive to manufacture. The technology is said to be superior in terms of safety and competitive in terms of cell performance.
Tesla proposes enabling renewables developers to estimate a project’s interconnection costs
With access to grid models, Tesla said it could estimate a project’s interconnection costs with an informational study in less than two weeks. Trade groups SEIA and AEE renewed their call to allow third-party interconnection studies.
Quinone flow battery for grid-scale renewables storage now close to commercial viability
Startup Quino Energy has raised more than $7.8 million to scale up its quinone redox flow battery technology. Harvard University and University of Cambridge researchers came up with the initial research for the battery design.
Sunrise brief: U.S. DOE invests $14 million to enhance environmental and wildlife benefits of solar
Also on the rise: World has technical potential to host 47.6 PWh of photovoltaic-thermal panels. Artificial intelligence could speed interconnection, says Amazon executive. And more.
U.S. DOE invests in enhancing environmental and wildlife benefits of solar
As solar energy increases in the United States, the DOE is investing $14 million in studies on how the infrastructure affects wildlife and ecosystems.
TOPCon solar cell achieves 24.2% efficiency via new plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition tech
A team of international researchers has simplified the deposition of thin film layers in the commercial production of TOPCon solar cells. Via a tube-type industrial plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PEALD) technique, they were able to achieve a power conversion efficiency of 22.8% in a 60-cell, 613 W TOPCon module.
