Green hydrogen backed by US solar firms 8minute and Intersect Power
Two solar firms have helped launch an industry group promoting green hydrogen, which is produced using solar or wind power. The group backs a Utah project that would use 30% green hydrogen in 2025 and 100% green hydrogen by 2045.
Zinc-air battery being deployed in New York aims for extremely low $45/kWh cost
New York state has chosen Zinc8’s zinc-air battery to demonstrate the technology’s viability over a three-year period in a 100 kW/1 MWh storage system.
More Tesla solar roof tile installations in the wild, a photo gallery update
We discover two more Tesla solar roof tile installations this week and update a few more. That leaves 998 more roofs to document this week, given Elon Musk’s claim of 1,000 roofs per week by the end of 2019.
All-inorganic perovskite solar cell hits 16.1% efficiency
Researchers from the City University of Hong Kong have developed an all-inorganic perovskite cell with an electron-pair donor which offers a pair of non-bonding electrons. The cell was developed by applying that ‘Lewis base’ small molecule to passivate the inorganic perovskite film.
Panasonic claims 16% efficiency for lightweight perovskite solar module
The device has an area of 802cm² and thickness of 2mm. The manufacturer claims it improved module performance through an inkjet coating method and a reduction in weight by using thin glass substrates.
Dirt-eating solar panel coating wins government funding
Swift Coat has won a $1 million grant from the DOE to develop a solar glass coating that combines industry standard anti-reflective properties with photocatalytic titanium dioxide that breaks down organic materials on solar modules, potentially increasing energy generation by 3% over standard panels.
World record efficiency for Longi’s PERC mono, Jinko’s p-type PERC and bifacial solar panels
Solar module efficiency records continue to fall. Longi claims a 22.38% efficiency world record for a PERC mono panel, while Jinko has achieved conversion efficiencies of 21.82% and 22.49% for its p-type PERC and n-type HOT bifacial panels, respectively.
Dan Shugar, NEXTracker CEO, on solar trackers in wind and the terror of torsional galloping
In the final part of our interview, Dan Shugar, goes into detail about a subject NEXTracker has studied in depth — static and dynamic evaluation of wind impacts on single-axis trackers. We include video of trackers (and a bridge) caught galloping in the wind.
Not just for outer space: NREL has a path to cheaper GaAs solar cells
A team at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has come up with a new process that would reduce the production cost of highly expensive – and highly efficient – gallium arsenide cells.
Photo gallery of Tesla solarglass roof tile installations: Will 2020 be the year of the solar roof?
Tesla shipped a record number of electric vehicles in the most recent quarter and started production at its new China factory. However, 2019 was not “the year of the solar roof,” despite Elon Musk’s aspirations. Your humble narrator tracked down some solar roof installations to witness Tesla’s solar glass in the wild. We’ve got pictures.
