Thermal battery offers fast, efficient performance at low cost
A scalable thermal energy storage prototype system that combines the best latent and sensible heat transfers is now market-ready after three years of testing. It consists of engineered cementitious materials and thermosiphons in a combination that enables fast, efficient thermal performance at low cost.
Solid-state battery design uses metal blend electrolyte
New battery materials tested by Berkeley Labs and Florida State University could result in a more conductive solid-state electrolyte that is less dependent on a large quantity of individual metals, which proves effective for the huge demand in the EV market.
Inverted perovskite solar cell achieves 23.9% efficiency, high durability
A U.S.-Canadian group of scientists used Lewis base molecules to improve surface passivation in a perovskite solar cell. The team produced a device with a high open-circuit voltage and remarkable stability levels.
Impact of single-axis agrivoltaics systems on non-irrigated grassland
U.S. researchers are studying how agrivoltaic systems mounted on single-axis trackers affect rainfall and light redistribution at a 1.2 MW installation on grassland in Colorado.
Innovations in long-duration energy storage
Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is essential for decarbonizing the grid but gigawatt-hour scale systems continue to be tricky for companies with big ideas.
Sunrise brief: The outstanding success of solar on new homes in California
Also on the rise: Intersolar North America takeaways. Over 25 GW of solar is actively being constructed in the U.S. And more.
U.S. scientists improve photoresponsivity in solar perovskite by 250%
Researchers led by the University of Rochester claim to have increased the photoresponsivity of a lead-halide perovskite for solar cell applications by 250%. They created a perovskite film with a plasmonic substrate made of hyperbolic metamaterial and characterized it with transition dipole orientation.
Sodium aluminum battery for renewables storage
U.S. researchers have designed a molten salt battery that uses an aluminum cathode that charges quickly and reportedly enables longer-duration discharge.
Solar may cover the world’s electricity demand with 0.3% of its land area
An international research group claims that raw materials and land availability do not present a real barrier for a global energy system with solar at its center. They said that forecasts for PV growth should not have their axis on utility-scale power plants and instead consider vertical PV, agrivoltaics, and floating PV as the source of future big market volumes.
Sunrise brief: Post-IRA opportunities and risk in utility-scale solar
Also on the rise: Facebook (Meta) total solar procurement closes in on 4 GW. New solar projects are more economical than operating existing coal plants. And more.
