NREL interactive chart of solar cell efficiency now including ‘hybrid tandems’
The new cell category includes perovskite/silicon, perovskite/CIGS, III-V/silicon and perovskite/organic tandem PV devices. It will list the absolute record efficiency for all-perovskite, two-terminal tandems regardless of the number of junctions.
50 states of grid modernization
North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center’s recent report looks at how states are doing with legislative and regulatory action related to shoring up the power grid.
Climate change to drive value of rooftop solar
University of Michigan researchers have found that the value of rooftop solar will increase by between 5% and 15% by the mid-century across a range of U.S. cities under moderate climate change, and by up to 20% by the end of the century.
New model shows how to power homes exclusively with hydrogen, solar, batteries
Researchers in Spain has found that combining PV power generation with fuel cells and battery storage may help homes considerably reduce their levelized cost of energy. Their simulation reportedly demonstrated homes may also become completely self-sufficient.
Neighbors like solar, to a point
Research indicates that most neighbors of solar power facilities maintain positive attitudes toward these plants until they exceed 100 MW in capacity or approximately 400 acres.
Important Q1 solar policy changes across 50 states
Trends spotted in the NC Clean Energy Technology Center report include legislation to enable community solar, net metering reform considered by new states and states clarifying time of use rates for net metering customers.
New vapor deposition tech could accelerate commercialization of perovskite solar cells
A U.S.-based team developed a vapor deposition technique to fabricate outperforming all-inorganic perovskite thin films in under 5 minutes in a continuous process. The adoption of the proposed approach may also result in higher perovskite solar cell power conversion efficiencies.
Sunrise brief: California Supreme Court to review rooftop solar net metering
Also on the rise: Renewables and storage interconnection backlog grew about 30% last year. California’s electricity multi-crisis can be aided by virtual power plants. And more.
A guide to help homeowners understand how to go solar
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory published an open access guide to rooftop solar and battery energy storage that covers costs, incentives, policies and more.
Renewables and storage interconnection backlog grew about 30% last year
The wait for transmission interconnection studies constitutes a “major bottleneck” for solar, storage and wind projects, which accounted for over 95% of all active capacity awaiting studies at the end of 2023, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has reported.
