Research

Norwegian fire safety specialist Bridgehill has developed a fire-resistant roofing membrane designed for use beneath rooftop PV systems. The company says the product is intended to limit heat transfer and flame spread in commercial and industrial installations subject to strict fire safety and insurance requirements.

Real-world testing of an artifical intelligence-enabled energy management system and virtual power plant technology is underway in Dubbo, through a TRaCE funded collaboration between the University of New South Wales, Sungrow and Dubbo Regional Council.

South Australian clean energy technology recycling developer Iondrive has reported early laboratory results from its proprietary IONSolv metal extraction platform shown greater than 85% silver extraction efficiency in initial bench-scale testing.

Researchers at NREL found that UV exposure can cause significant, partly non-recoverable degradation in TOPCon solar cells, with strong cell-to-cell and intra-cell variability linked to passivation and processing inconsistencies. While some UV-related losses recover quickly under light and are unlikely to affect field performance, the findings highlight gaps in current qualification tests and the need for improved UV aging standards.

UNSW researchers identified a new damp-heat degradation mechanism in TOPCon modules with laser-fired contacts, driven primarily by rear-side recombination and open-circuit voltage loss rather than series-resistance increase. The study highlights that magnesium in white EVA encapsulants accelerates degradation, guiding improved encapsulant and backsheet selection for more reliable modules in humid environments.

Around a fifth of solar panels examined in a new study fail much faster than expected and some may last for only half their anticipated lifetime.

South Korean researchers from Chungnam National University have developed a one-step, photoresist-free graphene patterning technique that results in very low electrical resistance and avoids damage, showing scalability in the fabrication of transparent, flexible electronics like solar cells.

Engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a real-time monitoring technique that reveals how silicon solar cells can self-repair following ultraviolet-induced damage, offering new insights into solar panel degradation and lifetime performance.

Next-generation solar innovator Halocell Energy is set to benefit from the development of a sovereign supply chain for high-purity precursors to perovskite after signing a memorandum of understanding with Queensland advanced materials company Lava Blue.

China-based PV equipment supplier Ideal Energy Sunflower Semiconductor has completed an AI-enabled pilot line for ultra-thin, flexible heterojunction solar cells, targeting lightweight power systems for space and near-space applications.