United States

NASA scientists have partially cleaned up the solar modules of the Insight lander operating on Mars, by using grain sands collected nearby and trickling them on the panels during the windiest time of the day. This handmade technique has made it possible, according to them, to increase the PV array’s yield of about 30 watt-hours of energy per ‘sol,’ or Martian day.

By understanding the challenges that impacted the solar industry, battery material manufacturers will be better equipped to scale next-generation technologies from the lab to have a real-world impact.

Dubbed Gismo Power, the appliance is entirely mobile, can be grid-connected, and may be folded for storage.

Private sector fossil fuel spending on exploration is drying up just as modest rises in clean energy investments are being observed. With stock market investors increasingly embracing renewables, the IEA has observed positive signals in its latest energy investment report, but warned we are still doing far too little to keep global heating at bay.

5B, the Sydney-based modular solar manufacturer has successfully completed its most recent $12 million funding round, and along with the continued support of existing investors, the clean technology company also received investment support from former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Smart Energy Council Director Simon Holmes à Court. 

Last week, testing specialists PV Evolution Labs launched its latest Module Reliability Scorecard, which names more than 100 products from 26 manufacturers as top performers, after being put through their paces in extensive lab testing. This year’s scorecard reveals an increase in modules seeing at least one failure during the testing procedure, with newly added mechanical stress procedures causing the greatest number of failures.

Canada-based Enertopia filed provisional patents for technology that it said could boost PV system output by 10% or more and reduce panel heat stress.

In the proposed system, the optical element is placed symmetrically at the centre of the solar panel in order to increase the length of the effective light collection region. Each hologram is claimed to be able to separate the colors of sunlight and direct them to the solar cells within the solar panel.

U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab has devised a tool to allow users to compare pricing trends across locations, regions, and timeframes, down to the nodal level.

Funded by a United States’ Department of Energy grant, the project will evaluate Malta Inc.’s thermal energy storage system as a viable, scalable solution.