Sustainability

Canadian custom module manufacturer Capsolar developed a vehicle integrated PV system (VIPV) for an electric material towing application, reportedly enabling 30% to 40% range increase per battery charge.

Colorado-based AtmosZero has closed a Series A funding round that will help it accelerate the commercialization of its Boiler 2.0 technology. The air-sourced heat pump generates steam for industrial use and can be combined with PV generation and storage.

The co-founder of a Lithuanian company which has developed a new exercise bike that can generate and store electricity makes the case for the contribution “energy harvesting from daily human activity” can make to the energy transition.

Silicon-perovskite tandem solar requires optimization of both approaches, and embodies the weaknesses of each. Meanwhile, the use of pure thin-film devices offers a cheaper, simpler, and more sustainable PV solution for the United States.

An international research team has developed a novel way to remanufacture fully encapsulated perovskite solar cells after recycling. The researchers say the devices can achieve 88% of the original efficiency of the products.

Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has reaffirmed its commitment to hydrogen car development, PT PLN has started producing green hydrogen in Indonesia, and OMV Petrom has agreed to build 55 MW of green hydrogen production capacity in Romania.

Native American lands boast serious PV potential in the United States but getting projects off the ground hasn‘t always been easy. Different tribes are willing to take power generation into their own hands and the landscape could be shifting, thanks to funding from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other programs.

Portable solar generators are making their way from the fringes of solar and energy storage to become a mainstream consumer item. The rise has been charged by a range of factors that have created massive brands. Where did the sector emerge from, who was buying before, who is buying now, and what’s next? Tristan Rayner reports.

Wood Mackenzie has urged policymakers and companies to focus on the full life-cycle emissions of hydrogen, while a European Commission has revealed that a European business mission will visit Mauritania in March to explore hydrogen investment opportunities.

Scientists have proposed to use PV energy and heat pump-driven HVAC system in greenhouses conceived to grow tomatoes in the Mediterranean area. The system was found to have a payback time of only 2.9 years in southern Spain.