Scientists make first attempt to design solar cells based on kusachiite
Indian scientists have designed a thin-film solar cell that uses a mineral made of binary copper(II) and bismuth(III) oxide. They identified a cell design with a tin sulfide buffer layer that offers efficiencies close to 27.7%.
Impacts of clouds, aerosols on solar in China, India
Chinese researchers have modeled the impacts of clouds and aerosols on PV potential in southern China and northern India, which are similar in terms of latitude and elevation. They found that China offers lower PV potential due to a higher cloud effect.
Atlas Renewable Energy switches on 300 MW solar project in Mexico
The 300 MW La Pimienta solar project is now selling electricity to Mexican utility CFE under a 15-year power purchase agreement. It is Mexico’s second-largest operational PV facility.
Freight costs edge toward 4% of solar module costs, near pre-pandemic levels
Freight costs fell for the 39th straight week to account for roughly 4% of solar module costs – close to pre-pandemic levels. PV consultant Asier Ukar tells pv magazine that this trend will likely continue over the short term.
Beny Electric launches new battery for residential applications
The Chinese manufacturer said its new modular product has a storage capacity of 2.5 kWh and a nominal voltage of 48 V. It can be flexibly scaled up in a four-device configuration to 10 kWh.
Japanese consortium launches first warranty scheme for second-life solar
Japan-based Marubeni and Sompo Japan have partnered to provide defect warranties for second-life PV modules. Marubeni will verify the traceability and authenticity of information on the panels using blockchain technology.
IRENA releases all-Africa dataset of locations for solar, wind
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has published a dataset with 10,905 sites for PV deployment across Africa, with an estimated total capacity of 4.9 TW.
Zero solar allocated in unsuccessful 3.3 GW renewables auction in Spain
Originally intended to allocate 1.8 GW of solar power and 1.5 GW of wind power, the Spanish auction concluded with only 45 MW of assigned wind capacity, with the war in Ukraine blamed.
Lithium-vanadium battery for renewables storage
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group has energized its first hybrid storage system based on lithium-ion batteries and vanadium redox flow batteries in Germany. The system reportedly combines the advantages and electrochemical properties of both storage technologies.
Qcells, European consortium launch production line for tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells
South Korea-based Qcells and a research group led by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have established a pilot manufacturing line for silicon-perovskite tandem cells in Thalheim, Germany. The project aims to speed up the technology’s mass manufacturing and market penetration.
