Holistic solar modeling predicts even lower future pricing
Government researchers have refined their learning curve calculations and quantified how focusing on CAPEX alone can underestimate declines in project costs.
Ranking the states of distributed solar
The Institute for Local Self Reliance ranks states according to distributed energy resources per capita.
Solar panels keeping sheep fed during drought
Two Australian farmers reported that their solar panels increased grazing quality during drought periods over a four year period, aligning with research suggesting solar panel microclimates might increase water retention, and grass production.
New record for solar cell efficiency – 39.5% – built upon quantum wells
Using highly specialized materials that capture electrons in quantum wells, NREL set a new solar cell efficiency record.
‘Pulsed Joule heating’ tech to remove snow, frost, ice from solar modules
University of Illinois scientists have developed a way to remove snow and ice from solar panels at a much faster rate than conventional approaches. It is based on a glass coating on a film with high optical transparency and superhydrophobicity.
Perovskites studied as potential material for producing hydrogen in a renewable way
NREL researchers look at perovskite materials for solar-fuel platform that supports DOE’s HydroGEN project.
MIT, NREL researchers develop 40%-efficient thermophotovoltaic cell for grid-scale thermal batteries
The device is described as a heat engine with no moving parts that is able to produce power from a heat source of between 1,900 to 2,400 C. This concept is known as thermal energy grid storage (TEGS) and consists of a low-cost, grid-scale storage technology that uses thermophotovoltaic cells to convert heat to electricity above 2,000 C.
Designs, control strategies for PV-integrated shading devices
Photovoltaic shades in buildings offer energy efficiency and electricity generation, but an international research group says their commercial viability will depend on the control strategies used to optimize performance.
Could ‘hot carrier’ solar cells break the theoretical efficiency limit?
Up to 50% of the energy absorbed by a solar cell is lost as heat. Scientists are now developing a third generation of “hot carrier” solar cells that take advantage of this heat, potentially breaking the Shockley-Queisser limit of silicon-based PV.
Semi-transparent organic photovoltaic filters for agrivoltaic greenhouses
Researchers in the United States have tested organic photovoltaic filters in a greenhouse hosting lettuce growth and have found the devices’ transmission spectra may help fine-tune the characteristics of the plant. They used transcriptomic analysis to assess the key modifications of the plants grown under the solar filters.
