Technology

While many solar manufacturers are as yet undecided about which PV cell technology they will choose for their next high efficiency expansions, for Singapore-based REC, the future is HJT. pv magazine spoke to Cemil Seber, the managing director at REC Solar EMEA GmbH at the Intersolar Europe 2022 trade show, to dig deeper into these manufacturing plans.

Hungarian tech company Platio Solar has developed a new solar PV paving line featuring monocrystalline and polycrystalline cells with clear or opal glass.

Chinese scientists have developed an ultralight solar cell with perovskite film based on a 3-µm-thick polymer. It purportedly has a power conversion efficiency in line with that of perovskite cells of conventional thickness.

An international group of scientists experimented with a concept known as a “hot junction” carrier cell, which holds the potential for efficiency beyond the theoretical limits assumed today. The group modelled various cell designs, seeking those that would be least affected by imperfections in the actual materials, compared to how they are modelled.

A German consortium led by Fraunhofer IEE aims to bring gallium nitride inverters closer to commercial viability. The primary goal of the research project is the optimisation and miniaturisation of inverters, including passive components such as cooling systems, casings, and mounting structures.

Australian redox-flow battery specialist Redflow has upped the ante on its plans to expand into the United States market, announcing it has completed testing that will pave the way for its battery energy storage system to be used in conjunction with hybrid inverters manufactured by United States solar engineering company Sol-Ark.

With some of the highest rooftop solar PV penetration in Australia the outback town of Alice Springs will soon play host to the Northern Territory’s first resident Virtual Power Plant with the project partners exploring how best to bolster the reliability of the local grid and pave the way for the increased penetration of renewable energy.

CHN Energy has linked a 100 MW floating PV plant to an existing 4.1 MW tidal energy system in China’s Zhejiang province. The tidal power station was commissioned in 1980 and is the fourth-largest system of its kind in the world.

An international research team has proposed the use of water from high-altitude rivers and regenerative braking in electric trucks to store electricity for reuse in power networks, or for transport purposes.

New South Wales transmission network owner Transgrid has commenced construction on its section of the $2.3 billion Project EnergyConnect, the high-voltage electricity transmission interconnector that will link power grids across three states, unlocking gigawatts of planned renewable energy projects.