Technology

Scientists led by Cambridge University have discovered that adding a simple solution of potassium to the ink solution has the effect of ‘healing’ defects in metal-halide perovskite films, and immobilizing ion movement. This, according to the researchers, could push the material to higher efficiencies, while also increasing stability.

Researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have provided a new understanding of what happens inside a hybrid perovskite material in the first few trillionths of a second after it is hit with simulated sunlight.

The research team believes that the new technology may resolve technical problems and drastically reduce the manufacturing cost of the lift-off process in the production of thin film monocrystalline solar cells.

U.S. based technology company, Natcore has announced two new processes, which it says could dramatically reduce the production costs of its foil cell, which it has been working to commercialize for the past couple of years.

Power electronics company, SolarEdge has announced the launched of an EV charging inverter in Europe.

Ahead of its upcoming webinar, on March 27, JinkoSolar’s Head of Technical Service Europe, Andrea Viaro, discusses the company’s new Half Cell (HC) Series, the benefits of multi-busbar and bifacial technology, and upcoming innovations, in a Q&A with pv magazine.

Utility, Hawaiian Electric has announced the start of operations of a pilot project featuring flywheel energy storage technology provided by Amber Kinetics. The project will test the technology’s capability of supporting the grid and allowing further integration of renewable generation.

Scientists at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have demonstrated the first working example of a “proton battery”, which utilizes a carbon electrode and a reversible hydrogen fuel cell for the storage of energy. The scientists say their small prototype has already demonstrated similar storage capacities to commercially available lithium-ion batteries, with plenty of potential for further optimization.

A team of scientists based at the Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices has integrated a silicon solar cell with a device that generates power from the motion of raindrops, an innovation which could greatly enhance performance in cloudier climates.

Researchers in the U.S. have confirmed the existence of a novel state of the element manganese, first proposed in a journal dating from 1928, which could allow for the development of low-cost, high performance batteries for grid level and other energy storage applications.