Research

Researchers from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) have used advanced neutron scattering techniques to better understand what leads to catastrophic failures in lithium ion batteries.

Genex Power, owner of the 50 MW / 100 MWh Bouldercombe battery which caught fire in Queensland on September 26, says its preliminary root cause analysis found the fault occurred at the grid side of the Tesla Megapack battery unit.

Researchers in Germany have found that there is “no evidence” to support the notion that renewable energy generation fosters peace through prosperity. The trio of academics came to this conclusion after empirically testing the assumption that distributed renewable energies may reduce international conflicts and promote democratic values.

A new study from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) shows that 83% of sites tested as part of a global survey had line cracks, 78% had a soldering anomaly and 76% had complex cracks. The survey involved visual inspections combined with electroluminescence testing across 148 sites in 16 countries.

Researchers from the Australian PV Institute are part of an international group of scientists that have devised a list of recommendations to support the creation of solar neighborhoods. In a recently published study they highlight the importance of legislative frameworks and advanced computing.

Belgian Solar Team Innoptus has claimed back-to-back Bridgestone World Solar Challenge titles, beating home dozens of competitors from around the world to win the 3,000 kilometre race through Australia’s outback.

South Australia-based Sparc Hydrogen will use federal government funding to fast track the development of next generation photocatalytic technology to produce commercially viable green hydrogen from water using concentrated solar.

Researchers at UNSW have modelled how shifts in Australia’s future weather patterns due to climate change will impact the nation’s solar resource, including its dependability. They found solar reliability may increase parts of Eastern Australia by 2099, but the outlook worsened in Western and Northern Australia.

Falling ceramic particles less than half a millimetre in size have been used by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, to store energy in a concentrated solar thermal system. The team recently achieved a temperature of 803°C using the process at its pilot plant in NSW.

RMIT University in Australia has developed new software that integrates product, regulation, technical, economic, and construction data. It helps architects and engineers to estimate the cost of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) during the conceptual design phase.