Technology and R&D

Researchers in New South Wales have teamed with the Dubbo Regional Council to trial a hybrid energy management system that aims to revolutionise how buildings consume, store, and distribute energy to improve efficiency while lowering costs and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

An offshore solar farm is being deployed close to an existing wind farm as part of a project in the Dutch North Sea. The developers have recently installed an anchoring system that will hold the solar farm in place while an electrical cable connects the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.

Researchers in China have fabricated a perovskite-TOPCon solar cell with a top perovskite device utilising a self-assembled monolayer aimed to improved cell stability. The tandem cell achieved a high fill factor and a certified efficiency of 30.9%.

Australian researchers have developed electrolysis systems that use urea sourced from urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen at “significantly lower” energy costs than traditional water-splitting methods.

Victorian startup Kite Magnetics has secured a $3.6 million investment from one of the world’s biggest producers of battery-grade lithium chemicals to scale up production of a patented nanocrystalline magnetic material designed to improve the performance of electric motors and generators.

Scientists have placed mist nozzles inside a bifacial PV module and measured it under an extremely hot climate. The module was found to generate up to 37% more electricity on sunny days and up to 46% more on cloudy days compared to standard monofacial panels.

A team of São Paulo-based researchers have found incorporating formamidinium cations into methylammonium-based lead iodide perovskite films increases the durability of perovskite solar cells when fabricated and measured under ambient conditions.

New South Wales-based battery materials specialist Sicona has signed a $15 million licensing agreement with Indian chemical conglomerate Himadri to accelerate the global commercialisation of its flagship silicon carbon anode material.

Engineers at Monash University have a developed a next-generation water-based battery suitable for application in residential use and compatible with rooftop solar in real time.

Researchers from the Middle East have simulated a novel PV thermal module which includes a thermoelectric generator above the absorber layer, conical helical tape in the cooling tube and a ferrofluid. These technologies reportedly contributed to increased PV efficiency and thermal efficiency by 2.12% and 23.34%, respectively.