Offshore vs. ground-mounted PV
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have compared the performance of ground-mounted PV plants with that of off-shore solar facilities and have found that floating installations benefit from the cooling effect of the seawater.
The Hydrogen Stream: Chile selects electrolyzer companies for local assembly
Chile’s economic development agency Corfo has selected three companies – two Chinese and one Spanish – to build electrolyzer production facilities in the country. The projects, set to begin operations by mid-2026, will assemble alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers ranging from 50 kW to 5 MW.
PV-driven absorption cooling system for arid regions
Scientists in Saudi Arabia have simulated a solar-powered single-effect absorption cooling system that uses water-lithium bromide as a working fluid, under the environmental conditions of Riyadh. Exergy and exergy rates are calculated for each level of the system, with optimal generator performance being found to peak at 80 C.
Israel plans two different tariffs for rooftop solar under net metering
Israel is considering two new tariff rates for selling excess electricity from home solar installations back to the grid. The first will offer a higher rate for the first five years, before dropping beneath the current rate, while the second will link the tariff to inflation. A consultation is open until April 4.
Dual-component controller for three-phase solar inverters can reduce overshoot to less than 0.33%
An international research team has conceived a dual-component controller for three-phase inverters that can reportedly achieve faster settling times, reduced overshoot and more stable current tracking compared to conventional controllers.
The Hydrogen Stream: HyIron starts green hydrogen production in Namibia
HyIron says it has produced the first green hydrogen molecules at its Namibian facility, while Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has secured AUD 814 million ($512 million) for its Murchison Green Hydrogen project in Western Australia.
Testing photovoltaic modules in Antarctica’s summer
The Turkish Antarctic Expedition placed four different PV module types – monocrystalline, polycrystalline, flexible and transparent – outside of their research camp for three months to compare performance, finding that monocrystalline was the clear winner.
Gas quenching with helium, argon for more stable perovskite solar cells
Kuwait University researchers investigated the relationship between the molecular weight of the quenching gas and the morphology of perovskite films used in solar cells, finding that argon and helium extended device lifetimes compared to using the more conventional nitrogen.
Key takeaways from Sunrise Arabia 2025
A recent joint event by Solarabic and pv magazine in Riyadh highlighted Saudi Arabia’s rapid push for clean energy and localization, with new factories and large storage projects taking shape.
Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell based on hole selective monolayers achieves 29.8% efficiency
Researchers from Fraunhofer ISE and KAUST built a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell that reportedly offers improved reproducibility. The device relies on self-assembled monolayers that result in low parasitic absorption and rapid charge extraction.
