Sunrise brief: Canada launches Electricity Transition Hub to assist utilities
Also on the rise: First Solar announces $270 Million investment in R&D innovation center. Nearly 4% of U.S. homes have solar panels installed. And more.
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.
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.
Rooftop wind energy innovation claims 50% more energy than solar at same cost
The patented motionless wind harvesting system from Aeromine Technologies is currently being piloted by BASF Corporation.
Strategies to maximize clean energy development while being good land stewards
SEIA white paper lays out framework for engaging with communities and minimizing impacts of solar siting.
Nature Conservancy favors low-impact renewables deployment in the West
Deploying renewables in a high electrification scenario for the western U.S. in a way that avoids “the most sensitive natural areas and working lands” would cost “only 3%” more than a scenario without that constraint, found a study promoted by the land conservancy.
The mobility rEVolution: Zero-cobalt cathode for highly stable lithium-ion batteries
U.S. researchers say they have developed a way to make cobalt-free lithium-ion battery cathodes, while Ford says it has broken ground on a new $5.6 billion production complex for electric vehicles and batteries.
