Research

Scientists at Macquarie University and the University of New South Wales have broken through significant barriers to perovskite solar cell industrial adoption with the discovery of ground breaking green manufacturing processes and materials.

An international research team has developed a new machine that utilises shockwaves to separate the different materials of a PV module. Chemical processes can be further used to extract silicon and silver. Results show the recovery of more than 99.5% of the original weight of the panels.

The International Energy Agency warns that energy innovation is slowing as shifting priorities and financing changes hinder progress, despite past investments driving economic and security gains.

German scientists have proposed power generation for future habitats on the moon could be achieved by manufacturing halide perovskite cells locally, using regolith-based moonglass.

Researchers from the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics and the University of New South Wales have published findings on the potential for next generation solar cells of chalcogenide pervoskite BaZrS3.

Australian battery tech company Li-S Energy has inked a stratospheric deal with New Zealand uncrewed aircraft developer Kea Aerospace, to incorporate its lightweight tech into the solar powered aircraft and extend flighttime from a day to many months.

University of New South Wales’ researchers using artificial intelligence to aid analysis of solar cell degradation, developing innovative green ammonia production and an end-of-life electric vehicle battery solution are recipients of commercialisation grants.

An international research team studied the solar PV impact of emissions from a coal-fired power plant in the Atacama Desert, Chile finding that after five months of exposure, the deposited dust on co-located PV panels reached a maximum of 1.63 mg/cm2 with a 23 % reduction in photocurrent. The accumulation at the co-located plant was 3 times greater than nearby PV sites with similar coastal climate conditions.

A new paper from renewable energy technology company 3E lays out strategies to manage battery degradation, saying inaccurate state of health measurements of battery energy storage systems can negatively impact their safety, impede accurate asset evaluation and result in financial losses. 

University of Sydney researchers have suppressed ion migration in halide perovskites specifically at the B-site, paving a way for cell stabilisation by minimising energy loss and improving performance reliability.