Solar cells built on dots and dashes of silver
A team from the University of New South Wales School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering has reinvented the design of screen-printed contacts to reduce costs and silver consumption, without sacrificing the efficiency of tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cells.
Research shows tilt angles over 30 degrees delay solar module thermal failures
A Chinese-Italian research team has analysed the influence of different tilt angles on the thermal failure of the photovoltaic facades or roofs in fire conditions, finding that when the tilt angle exceeds 30 degrees, the time to failure increased significantly.
Study showcases potential of solar farms to complement agricultural practices
A study on the potential benefits of co-locating solar energy generation and sheep grazing shows those that graze in the shade of solar panels may produce better quality wool than those on traditional agricultural properties.
Researchers build all-perovskite tandem solar cell with 28.2% efficiency
Researchers at the Australian National University are part of the international team that has built an all-perovskite tandem solar cell based on a wide-bandgap top perovskite cell with a 20.5% efficiency. The 1 cm2 scale tandem device achieved the highest efficiency yet reported for all-perovskite solar cells of this size.
Researchers analyse wind cooling effect for 5.9 MW rooftop PV array
Researchers have analysed how wind speed and direction affect the cooling of a rooftop PV plant with 10,806 panels. They said that winds from behind were less effective due to the roof slope and the minimal gap between the panels and the roof, but wind from other directions could contribute to a cooling effect of up to 7 C.
Cornwall tips 150 GW renewables boost for NEM within two decades
Australia’s main electricity grid is predicted to increase its solar, wind, and energy storage capacity by more than 150 GW by 2043 according to new projections published by energy market consultancy and research group Cornwall Insight.
Aiko teams with Australian research centre to push solar cell efficiency limits
Chinese solar cell and module maker Aiko Solar has partnered with the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics on a $6 million initiative aiming to achieve 30% efficiency with interdigitated back contact silicon solar cells.
Toyota teams with BHP to test electric HiLux dual-cab
With electric vehicle demand continuing to grow in Australia, Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota has revealed it will team with mining giant BHP to trial the “first ever” battery-powered HiLux dual-cab ute.
PVEL scorecard shows ‘relevant risks’ for TOPCon technology
The results of this year’s Kiwa PVEL scorecard have shown that TOPCon technology is more vulnerable than PERC, and the failure rate at bill of materials has increased to 41%, the highest in history, according to the testing lab.
New passivation strategy increases efficiency of chloride-iodide-based perovskite solar cells by 15%
Although local defects in chloride-iodide-based perovskite are hard to avoid due to ion migration, a group of scientists from the University of New South Wales has found a way to passivate them. They used different combinations of 4-chlorobenzylammonium chloride and 4-chlorobenzylammonium bromide on top of the hole transport layer and reached up to 15% improvement in efficiency.
