Research

Closed-loop pumped-hydro storage offers more chances to minimise environmental effects on water sources and overcomes the problem of finding suitable sites. According to an Australian research team, closed-loop systems could prevail on open-loop systems in the future and this trend is confirmed by another group of scientists from the United States.

Solar cell production could consume every ounce of the world’s known silver reserves within a few years. One industry guru and his UNSW colleagues have set out the case for carefully considering what happens next.

Research has uncovered critical security threats associated with a number of common smart electric-vehicle chargers, but it’s not too late or too logistically difficult to remedy the issues.

A global registry that uses satellite images to map and quantify the rollout of solar PV across rooftops in some of the world’s most iconic cities has ranked Melbourne among the top five for solar roof utilisation.

Researchers in China have analysed how the marine environment influences the performance of PV modules deployed on ships, and have found that salt particles can be detrimental to their performance as these act as both heating agents and a factor reducing solar irradiance. The temporary cooling effect provided by seawater is not sufficient to offset the impacts of salt spray and ensure increased power yields.

As part of the Western Australian government’s 2021-22 Budget, Premier Mark McGowan announced a new $50 million fund to stimulate the growth of the state’s green hydrogen industry for domestic use and exports. The fund comes on top of several ongoing initiatives and includes funding for private industry feasibility studies, including one which will see bp repurpose its Kwinana Oil Refinery into a green fuels hub.

A group of biologists in the United States working with a bacteria discovered a mechanism that could be used to convert electricity into biofuels or other useful substances. With better understanding of the genetics, the group says the mechanism could rival hydrogen for the storage of renewable energy.

Scientists in the United States claim to have created a crossover-free, high-voltage, non-aqueous hybrid flow battery with a novel chemistry for the solid sodium anode. The device has shown a high working voltage of around 2.6 V and a coulombic efficiency of 95.0%.

The development of a “world-first” marketplace designed to maximise the value of distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar PV, batteries and electric vehicles is on track with the Australian Energy Market Operator confirming it expects to start trialling the platform in early 2022.

Scientists in the United States used machine learning to analyse maintenance reports, performance data and weather records from more than 800 solar farms located across the country. The analysis allowed them to determine which weather conditions have the biggest impact on PV generation, and to suggest the most effective ways to boost the resilience of PV installations to extreme weather events.