Research

Scientists have compared conventional PV modules to self-made BIPV panels with thicker, patterned glass. They tested them both under standard conditions and outdoors under Korean summer conditions. Yield was found to be only 0.5% lower in the textured BIPV module.

A co-inventor of the passivated emitter and rear cell silicon solar cell technology, Professor Andrew Blakers, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia on the 2025 Australia Day Honours list.

The researchers built the cell with a hole transport layer (HTL) based on PEDOT:PSS and were reportedly able to reduce the losses caused by this compound with the utilisation of a thiocyanate additive. The champion lab-sized device achieved an open circuit voltage of 0.875 V, a short circuit current density of 31.84 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 83.23%.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have broken the energy efficiency world record for a kesterite solar cell, a technology that is being explored as a potential long-term improvement for silicon-based PV technology.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has been directed to consider more funding for residential solar and battery energy storage systems as the federal government examines how best to expand household electrification projects around the country.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have used a 1 µm copper plating layer on the front silver grid of a TOPCon solar cell to create a protective barrier that reportedly reduces corrosion susceptibility. The cell showed significantly lower contaminant-induced degradation that unprotected reference devices.

JinkoSolar’s latest n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules delivered higher energy yield per watt than a competitor’s n-type back contact (BC) modules in a three-month field test in Japan, under varying irradiance levels.

Scientists have proposed a building-integrated PV system that integrates airflow to cool the panels and control room temperature. The system, which also acts as a shading device, can reportedly mitigate drops in power generation efficiency without additional energy consumption.

Scientists have placed four PV panels in a 21-metre wind tunnel and run different tests regarding tilt angles, mounting height, spacing, and incoming flow direction. They found that when the spacing between panels exceeds twice the panel height, the mutual influence on dust deposition becomes negligible.

A new Stanford University study finds that there are several key routes that sodium-ion battery developers can take to compete on price, specifically against a low-cost variant of the lithium-ion battery known as lithium iron phosphate (LFP).