Global inventory map of floating photovoltaics
A Chinese-US research group has created an up-to-date spatial datase to identify floating PV systems across the globe. The new tool uses Google Earth images, Sentinel satellite imagery, and multiple spectral indices.
Thin-film solar development receives $2 million in funding
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory awarded funding to six projects to support its Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium.
NREL adds a lab and announces plans for spending $150 million in IRA funding
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was on hand for the opening of the Research and Innovation Laboratory, which will focus on plastics upcycling, next-generation batteries and advanced energy materials.
Sunrise brief: California utilities commission rejects solar microgrid proposal
Also on the rise: Top PV module manufacturers by shipment volume in 2022. 50 states of solar incentives: Idaho. And more.
Funding opportunity of $6.5 million announced for innovative solar projects
The Department of Energy and Solar Energy Technologies Office is seeking more novel ideas rather than those based on established technologies, with the intent of the funding being to deploy solar technologies that will support the transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and energy sector by 2050.
U.S. scientists improve photoresponsivity in solar perovskite by 250%
Researchers led by the University of Rochester claim to have increased the photoresponsivity of a lead-halide perovskite for solar cell applications by 250%. They created a perovskite film with a plasmonic substrate made of hyperbolic metamaterial and characterized it with transition dipole orientation.
Flexible cadmium telluride solar cell with 12.6% efficiency via lift-off method
A U.S. research team has developed a cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cell through a lift-off method that reportedly ensures higher crystallinity of the cadmium sulfide film. The device has a power conversion efficiency of 12.60%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.829 V, a short-circuit current density of 23.64 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 64.30%.
American-Made Solar Prize round 6 semifinalists announced
The semifinalists will each receive $50,000 in cash, plus two teams were awarded a $25,000 bonus cash prize for their participation in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) contest, which seeks solutions that enable underserved communities to overcome systemic barriers to solar deployment.
TOPCon solar cell achieves 24.2% efficiency via new plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition tech
A team of international researchers has simplified the deposition of thin film layers in the commercial production of TOPCon solar cells. Via a tube-type industrial plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PEALD) technique, they were able to achieve a power conversion efficiency of 22.8% in a 60-cell, 613 W TOPCon module.
Sunrise brief: Americans beginning to correlate extreme weather with a climate crises, but purse strings are still tight
Also on the rise: Solar panels power the James Webb telescope. Tennessee Valley Authority seeks 5 GW of carbon-free energy. And more.
