Mercedes unveils car with 20% efficient ultra-thin solar coating
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a prototype car with a silicon-free, 20%-efficient nanoparticle solar coating that powers the vehicle even when off and uses modules thinner than a human hair.
Australian solar pioneer wins top UK engineering prize
Pioneering solar researcher Martin Green has received arguably one of the world’s top awards for engineers and scientists in recognition of his achievements in photovoltaics and driving the global shift to renewables.
Solar tracker repowering emerges as key to sustaining older arrays
Aging utility-scale solar projects are driving interest in tracker repowering, while asset owners weigh costs against gains in performance and longevity.
Incat starts energisation process for world’s largest electric ship
The world’s largest battery-electric ship has reached a new milestone with shipbuilder Incat Tasmania confirming that one of the vessel’s four battery rooms is now receiving electrical charge ahead of sea trials later this year.
Perovksite solar cell based on MXene achieves 25.13% efficiency
A Chinese research group claims to have achieved remarkable efficiency and stability in a solar cell based on a perovskite absorber incorporating MXene, a novel type of 2D material known for its excellent conductivity, chemical stability, and thermal resilience. The device reportedly retained 80% of its initial efficiency after 500 hours.
Australia leads international zero-carbon silicon recovery research
Australian researchers are collaborating with organisations in India, Indonesia and the United States to develop a zero-carbon, automated end-of-life solar panel recycling process using robots to recover ultra-pure silicon.
Researchers trial AI-enabled wireless thermal runaway sensing system
Researchers from the University of New South Wales are building and validating a prototype of their AI-enabled wireless sensing system that can spot dangerous heat in lithium-ion batteries before it progresses to thermal runaway.
Project Southgate to support 5.1 GW of solar, storage, hydro and wind
Developers of a series of artificial intelligence factories being built across Australia at a cost of $73.3 billion, say they will be 100% powered by renewable energy and could stimulate 5.1 GW of solar, storage, hydro and wind projects.
Shadow-aware route planning for vehicle-integrated photovoltaics
Japanese researchers have proposed a method for future vehicle-integrated photovoltaic route planning. It integrates environmental shading effects based on satellite and geographic information system data.
High-rise buildings could soon use gravity energy storage, say researchers
Researchers in Canada have proposed using gravity-based energy storage in high-rise buildings, in combination with photovoltaic facades, small wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries. Their modeling indicated that this hybrid system could achieve a levelized cost of energy ranging from $0.051/kWh to $0.111/kWh.
