Technology and R&D

JinkoSolar has launched an all-in-one battery solution for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar applications. It includes a new outdoor cabinet that integrates battery packs, a management system, a power conversion system, and firefighting equipment. The system offers 215 kWh of battery capacity and up to 100 KW of rated power output.

Spanish researchers claim to have established new measurement methods to assess the performance degradation of PV modules without the need for removing and reinstalling the tested PV modules from their operating positions. The new approach is claimed to increase productivity in PV plant quality control activities.

South Korean researchers have developed a long-term solar irradiance prediction method based on a reinforcement learning algorithm. They claim that the new model is able to forecast solar radiation for more than a year using just two weeks of solar radiation learning.

Australian battery recycling startup Renewable Metals intends to scale and commercialise its lithium-ion battery recycling technology that converts battery waste into high-value battery metals after closing an $8 million (USD 5.08 million) investment round.

Mattiq says it is evaluating “millions of combinations” of different alternatives to iridium for PEM electrolysis, while Hystar, Air Liquide, and Trillium Energy Solutions have revealed plans for the North American hydrogen market.

Encouraged by lab results and a feasibility study, Swedish startup, Green14, in collaboration with Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) plans to build a pilot-scale reactor to make solar grade silicon with a hydrogen plasma process. The company sees the pilot as a step towards using a more sustainable method to produce solar grade silicon for the PV industry at its own gigawatt-scale plant.

Western Australian solar window company ClearVue Technologies has completed third-party testing with the Singapore Building and Construction Authority, saying the results illustrate strong thermal and energy outcomes.

Dragonfly Energy is using lithium hydroxide recovered from recycled batteries to manufacture battery cells, with Aqua Metals leading the way in recycling solutions for materials in the supply chains for energy storage and electric vehicles.

Oxford Institute for Energy Studies researchers have developed a cost-effective material to absorb hydrogen at non-cryogenic temperatures, which they consider optimal for fuel cell storage systems.

We Drive Solar and MyWheels have announced plans to transform the Dutch city of Utrecht into the world’s first municipality with a “neighbourhood battery on wheels.” The system will feature 25 Ioniq 5 vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech from Hyundai Motor.