Technology and R&D

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.

Australian manufacturer of lithium titanate oxide batteries Zenaji says the LTO battery market is projected to reach $5.8 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.6%, and its Eternity battery system is ready to catch that wave.

Researchers in Italy have analysed the techno-economic viability of enhancing three pumped hydro plants in Italy with floating solar on the lower basin. They say that, with their wide results, consequences could be extrapolated to similar regions.

Wood Mackenzie says that JinkoSolar has taken first place on its list of solar panel manufacturers. The report confirms the dominance of the TOPCon technology but also notes that heterojunction and back contact panel manufacturers are increasing their production share.

A $2 billion allocation from the Australian government to its ‘green bank’ Clean Energy Finance Corporation will boost investment commitments in renewable energy generation and storage, electric vehicles, infrastructure and natural capital.

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.

Victoria-headquartered technology solutions company Allume Energy is choosing to scale up the domestic manufacture of its apartment building energy management system SolShare in Australia, saying the benefits far outweighs moving offshore.

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).