New process to recover PET and EVA from recycled solar panels
Researchers in China are proposing a new technique to recover polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) in solar panels at the end of their lifecycle. The two materials represent around 15% of the total material in a wasted solar cell, with a share of 10% for EVA and 5% for PET, respectively.
Financing the Energy Transition: $200M SPAC from TJ Rodgers, plus funding for nuclear fuel disposal, next-gen CSP and more
Another week, another wave of investments in the clean energy transition.
An interstate HVDC transmission system could save the US $1 trillion by 2050
Chart of the day: Researchers with Vibrant Clean Energy have created a model that outlines how upgrading the nation’s existing transmission system or building an entirely new one could save the country hundreds of billions of dollars by 2050.
Equipment auction sounds the final note for Hanergy-owned Alta Devices, high-efficiency PV pioneer
If you’re interested in some lightly-used MOCVD and PVD thin-film solar cell production equipment, have we got a deal for you.
America’s highways have significant solar potential
A report just released by the University of Texas at Austin’s Webber Energy Group has tackled how much solar each state could develop along interstate interchange and exit locations and how much this solar could potentially be worth.
Plasma enables smaller, more powerful NMC-811 cathodes
Batteries could shrink even more with smaller crystals in the cathodes. Battery packs in electric vehicles and consumer goods could become smaller, while still offering high performance.
In search of the ‘most rational design’ for anti-reflective coating
Scientists in Spain have tested various properties of anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for PV module glass, aiming to develop a material that offers the best balance of desired material properties at the lowest cost. Over a year of testing, the best coatings were shown to boost module output by around 2%, and the group also made several observations that could influence future developments of coatings for PV module front glass.
Renewables have outpaced nuclear and coal to start 2020
In the latest edition of Electric Power Monthly, EIA data shows that renewable resources have generated more electricity through May 31st than both coal and nuclear power.
The world’s sunniest PV testing field
French energy giant Engie recently commissioned a solar module testing facility in Chile’s Atacama Desert, a region which has the world’s highest solar radiation. Thore Müller – head of bifacial PV R&D and solar services at Engie Laborelec, talked to pv magazine about the advantages of testing panels, inverters and cleaning systems in hot, arid environments.
European consortium bid to bring 25.4%-efficient heterojunction-IBC solar cell into mass production
The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.
