Cooling down solar modules by increasing space between panel rows
A US research team claims to have demonstrated that increasing the spacing of solar panels between rows improves PV system efficiency and economics by allowing airflow to cool down the modules. The method could improve a project’s LCOE by as much as 2.15% in certain climates.
New model for grid-forming inverter operation
Scientists in the United States have developed a new model to allow utilities to use grid-forming inverters in order to better manage renewable energy intermittency. They describe the inverter main circuit representation, the droop control, and the fault current limiting function.
US government announces $4.4 billion of funding for battery manufacturing, processing, recycling
US$3.1 billion (AU$4.4 billion) is available to increase production of American-made batteries, with a separate US$60 million (AU$85 million) to support second-life applications for used EV batteries, along with development of processes for recycling materials back into the battery supply chain.
Weekend read: Indium – sustainability, not supply
The supply of indium, both for layers in silicon solar cells and some thin-film PV technologies, is increasingly seen as a future potential bottleneck that solar and other industries relying on the material will have to manage. Resolving indium supply concerns may be a case of rethinking mining waste and recycling, reports Ian Morse.
Solar hot air also rises, solar chimneys save energy and lives
Researchers at RMIT University have designed a solar chimney that both saves energy, and saves lives. The solar chimney, part of a range of sustainable features built into the new Mentone Reserve Pavilion in Melbourne’s Kingston.
