Technology

The annual SiliconPV Conference came to TU Delft in the Netherlands in April, and offered an important health check for the science and technology behind solar energy. pv magazine was on site to hear the latest from researchers reaching for higher efficiency through tandem cells and other innovations; looking to understand and mitigate cell degradation mechanisms; and working to cut down solar technology’s consumption of rare and expensive materials.

Australia’s largest grid-connected urban microgrid has been officially commissioned with a new rooftop solar-powered system atop Swedish homewares giant Ikea’s Adelaide store already delivering more than 70% of the store’s energy needs and providing grid support for the South Australian network.

The new series comes in seven versions, with power outputs between 560 W and 590 W. The power conversion efficiency ranges between 21.7% and 22.8%

US space agency NASA has discovered that perovskite solar cells tested in space exhibit less degradation than reference devices tested on Earth. The agency acknowledged that it is uncertain about the specific factors in the space environment that contributed to the superior performance of the perovskite absorber film.

2023 Scorecard names 250 types of solar modules from 35 manufacturers as Top Performers.

To reach net zero by 2050, Australia will need 300 GW of wind and solar, and $413 billion (USD 2.72 billion) of investment, according to BloombergNEF. To reach hydrogen superpower status, that figure balloons to 812 GW of renewables and $739 billion of investment.

The ACT government has awarded over a million dollars to support the commercialisation of technologies from six upcoming renewable companies. Round three of the territory’s $12 million innovation fund includes support for a startup which has developed a 3D printer capable of printing electronics.

GoodWe plans to bring a range of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) products to Australia, announcing a partnership with specialist Umax Energy. The manufacturer this month released the details of its lightweight new panel, and plans to introduce an integrated solar roof tile to the Australian market.

Arka Energy’s new outdoor gazebo provides 2.4 kW to 4.3 kW of residential solar power via monocrystalline PERC solar tiles.

Enphase Energy’s latest IQ home battery energy storage system is set to land in Australia in July, making it the first region outside the company’s home US market to see the system. The batteries feature triple the peak power and double the continuous power of the previous model.