Researchers capture first-ever images of electric charges across semiconductor materials within a solar cell
A team from the University of California Santa Barbara used ultrafast electron microscopy to record photocarriers as they diffuse across a silicon and germanium heterojunction. It is the first time the movement, which lasts picoseconds, has been captured as a moving visual.
U.S. solar generation strong outside Hurricane Milton’s localized impacts
In a weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the impact of Hurricane Milton on solar production will be minimal outside the southeastern United States, as the system quickly moves offshore.
MIT scientists build PV-driven desalination system that reacts to changes in sunlight
The proposed brackish water desalination system uses photovoltaic electrodialysis to enable direct-drive desalination at high production rates. It already operated for 6 months on real brackish groundwater and was reportedly able to use 94% of the extracted PV energy.
LG Chem develops material capable of suppressing thermal runaway in batteries
LG Chem has announced that its Platform Technology R&D team has developed a temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer (SRL), a material which is described as capable of suppressing thermal runaway.
New model for diffuse, shadow effects on vehicle-integrated photovoltaics
Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Madrid have validated a model to simulate solar resources for vehicle integrated PV in urban settings, taking into account reflections and shadows of buildings and objects.
NREL researchers want to use tetracene to make singlet fission solar cells
Tetracene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that is commonly used in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), or as a sensitizer in chemoluminescence. Singlet fission solar cells can produce two electrons from one photon, making the cell more efficient.
U.S. solar industry on track to install 250 GW in five years
According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q3 2024 report, in the two years since passage of the IRA the solar industry has added 75 GW of new capacity to the grid, representing over 36% of all solar capacity built in U.S. history.
Reaching 45% solar generation would save Southeast utilities $20 billion/year
Annual savings of $20 billion are possible across six Southeastern states by reaching 45% solar generation by 2035, according to a national laboratory study.
New refrigerant may improve coefficient of performance of air-source heat pumps by up to 21%
Developed by a Chinese research group, the novel refrigerant is made of a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2) and a non-flammable hydrofluoroolefin. It has slightly higher costs compared to conventional compounds, but its creators claims these costs could be significantly reduced with large-scale industrial production.
Surging electricity demand puts pressure on utility planning
ICF report says retiring legacy fossil fuel plants will be more challenging.
