DOE funds $12 million in solar-generation modeling research
Despite some fears that the Department of Energy might stop funding solar research under the leadership of Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, the department continues to provide money for solar research.
GAO: Trump Admin’s attempts to undermine ARPA-E were illegal
After Congress allocated $91 million to the research program, the Department of Energy withheld it. The Government Accountability Office says that violated federal law.
U.S. scientists use hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites to increase solar cell efficiency
Research funded by the US Department of Energy and conducted by the University of Virginia has demonstrated how the rotation of organic molecules in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites may expand the lifetime of photo-excited charge carriers.
APS to study smart home features including solar and batteries
The utility plans to outfit 75 homes with rooftop PV systems and energy management tools – including batteries on 10 homes – as a means to look at how behind-the-meter resources interact with each other.
Have your solar electricity and eat tomatoes, too?
A California university demonstrates using translucent dye-treated glazing for PV powered greenhouses that can also provide photosynthetic light for plant growing.
NREL hits new efficiency record for quantum dot cell
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created a solar cell using colloidal quantum dots, which achieved 13.4% conversion efficiency – a new world record for this emerging technology.
Berkeley scientists boost battery capacities
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made progress with cathodes made from ‘disordered’ materials, a technology which could greatly increase the storage capacity of lithium batteries.
GE – Bringing good things to solar?
The American conglomerate has issued a white paper on improving solar operations. How does this fit in with their corporate strategy going forward?
NREL, Swiss researchers break 35% cell efficiency
A collaborative project between the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratories and researchers from two Swiss centers has tested a range of multi junction cells in tandem configuration, and achieved efficiencies of up to 35.9%.
It’s starting: Cuts at national labs slash more than 500 jobs
Though NREL and Berkeley Lab are not specifically mentioned – yet – the cuts at two other labs could signal dim times ahead for these two vital labs for renewable energy research.
