Technology and R&D

A 2 MW solar park in Wallonia, Belgium, will rely 50 kW of hydrogen-producing solar modules developed by Solhyd, a spin-off from KU Lueven. The installation will be the first demonstration of Solhyd’s technology at a commercially-relevant scale.

Elon Musk says a constellation of solar-powered artificial intelligence satellites could regulate the planet’s energy balance and limit global warming.

With renewables’ share in power generation expected to grow significantly, there will also be a push in the demand for next-generation transformers that are capable of handling the intermittent nature of solar, wind, and other non-polluting sources of energy. The grid of the future demands not only more transformers but smarter, adaptive, and sustainable designs that can support India’s ambitious renewable targets and fast-rising power demand.

Solex Energy Ltd has partnered with Germany’s ISC Konstanz to upgrade its upcoming TOPCon cell line and adopt next-generation rear-contact and c-Si tandem/perovskite solar technologies.  The manufacturer also unveiled its concept rear-contact solar module, which is set to enter commercial production by FY 2027.

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have published a review that looks at polycarbonate sheets as an alternative to solar cover glass. Their findings indicate that this new materials have a combination of low weight, mechanical strength, optical transparency, and thermal resistance that is worthy of further investigation.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the cost of capital for solar remains higher in Southeast Asian countries than it does in other emerging and developing economies.

Researchers have developed a stagnant water layer cooling concept and tested it using seawater, tap water, and desalinated water. The panel temperature decreased by up to 8.2 °C, while power output increased by approximately 28%.

The stackable battery ranges 4.9 kWh to 19.6 kWh per unit while the inverter is available in ranges from 3.8 kW to 13 kW. The company also introduced a meter socket adapter to avoid triggering costly main panel upgrades.

Hydrogen is set to play a transformative role in India’s space missions, transportation, and clean energy future, said Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), at a National Workshop on “Hydrogen Fuel Technologies and Future Trends” held at Alliance University, Bengaluru, in association with Indian Institute of Science.

Researchers in Spain investigated effective separation of encapsulants from PV glass with a focus on melting behavior and resistance to the hot knife-method of delamination. The results indicated that thermoplastic polyolefin encapsulants were the easiest to remove from the PV glass.