Technology and R&D

Sharp’s newest PV modules feature white backsheets and are made for the needs of design-oriented customers.

Australian battery manufacturer Redflow is determined to capitalise on what is describes as an emerging demand for non-lithium-based energy storage technology, announcing it has teamed with United States-based renewables developer Empower Energies to deploy solar and flow battery solutions in North America.

A pilot program across Sydney’s suburbs is seeking to prove a model its proponents hope will afford low income Australians access to solar at no upfront cost. The soon to be energised systems have been fitted on 64 disability homes and 90 community houses and will operate using a PPA model. “The poor don’t have the opportunity to put solar on their homes,” BlueCHP CEO, Charles Northcote tells pv magazine Australia. “They lose out because they have to pay all the grid charges… and this has not been addressed by the governments at all at this stage.”

Scientists compared hydrogen storage techniques and found that physical methods are closer to commercial feasibility, while materials-based techniques have strong potential.

Canadian battery developer Zinc8 Energy Solutions has announced plans to begin battery production in the United States, incentivised by manufacturing production credits in the US Inflation Reduction Act.

BMW Group said it is targeting the premium segment with its iX5 Hydrogen car, Topsoe revealed that it will invest US$267 million (AU$392m) to build the world’s largest SOEC electrolyzer plant in Denmark, and Bosch announced plans to invest US$200 million (AU$292m) in US fuel cell production.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has commissioned a first-of-its-kind pilot plant pumped heat energy storage demonstration facility with tech from US startup Malta. Its 10-150+ hour energy storage technology is said to be applicable in a range of grid-scale applications.

Australian solar technology company SunDrive continues to impress with its copper-based solar cell technology, achieving 26.41% efficiency for a full-size silicon cell using mass-production compatible heterojunction technology.

Integrated clean home energy and smart appliances platform lets users run appliances on battery-stored solar energy in pre-determined time frames.

Dutch startup Elestor has secured funds to bring its hydrogen bromide (HBr) flow battery technology closer to commercial production. It said the system could achieve a levelised cost of storage below US$0.05/kW.