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Researchers at KAUST and Fraunhofer ISE have successfully replaced spin-coating with blade-coating in the fabrication of perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells, a step toward scalable production of next-generation PV.
Meeting climate-neutral energy targets with photovoltaics will require a drastic cut in silver use. Scientists at Fraunhofer ISE have now produced silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells with total silver consumption of just 1.4 milligrams per watt peak.
Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have developed a contactless method for measuring the power output of back-contact solar cells – improving accuracy and avoiding potential damage.
Building on work by the Fraunhofer ISE, a new evaluation framework developed by researchers at HTW Berlin brings clarity to wallbox performance, highlighting how quickly different devices react to load control signals in the real world.
As part of the Sphinx research project, Fraunhofer ISE has established a pilot line in Freiburg. The flexible, automated process is assisting Swiss partner Freesuns ahead of mass production of the new matrix shingle solar roof tiles.
Solar installations on water bodies are known to have no impact on water quality – a recent study now shows they also leave plant growth unaffected.
While manufacturers have often overstated solar module output in recent years, it appears to be becoming less of an issue. This was the conclusion of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE following a comprehensive evaluation of module performance.
Farmers can mount the modules directly onto the existing weather protection. The foils and hail nets remain in place. When they are not needed, the farmer stows them beneath the modules.
Photovoltaic modules based on perovskite silicon tandem solar cells have the potential to achieve higher efficiencies than today's silicon modules. A research team at Fraunhofer ISE has now produced a module with an efficiency of 25 per cent using perovskite silicon tandem solar cells from Oxford PV.
For his YouTube channel Undecided with Matt Ferrell, the renewables youtuber goes for a deep dive of the latest and upcoming developments in perovskites and tandem solar cells:
The system that the project partners are developing is intended to simplify the use of facades for photovoltaics. Part of the solution will also be published as a VDI guideline.
Researchers have achieved a three per cent increase in the yield of photovoltaic modules by making many small improvements to components and the manufacturing process. With larger and divided solar cells in the module, the power density could be increased by a further three per cent.
Fraunhofer ISE says that it has developed the world's first string inverter for large power plants that feeds into the medium voltage. For photovoltaics, this would mean enormous cost and resource savings for passive components and cables.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have have integrated solar cells into the standard sheet metal hood of a regular passenger car. Coupled with the re- search institute’s MorphoColor technology, the solar-active surface can be color-matched to that of the vehicle.
Research institutes worldwide are working on improving the efficiency and scalability of organic photovoltaics. ISE scientists could now further increase their own world record.
Tandem solar cells made from a combination of perovskites and silicon promise efficiencies of over 30 per cent. Research laboratories around the world regularly announce new record values. However, these records are realised on surfaces that are smaller by a factor of 400 than the current wafer size of a solar cell. Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE want to change this.
With a new solar simulator, it is now possible to precisely determine the output of tandem solar cells. In a first step, the developers designed the system for perovskite-silicon tandems.
The efficiency was confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE. The cell was manufactured at the factory in Brandenburg an der Havel, eastern Germany. There, Oxford PV is researching new types of perovskite stack cells.
The Institute was also involved in the development of an IEC standard for the testing of arc detectors. The modular test rig is able to perform the tests of the inverters according to this standard.
On the road in all weathers: The cycle path near the football stadium in Freiburg, Germany has now been covered with glass-glass modules over a length of 300 metres. The system has an output of 287 kilowatt hours and generates around 280 megawatt hours of solar power per year.
For BIPV applications, coloured PV modules are an attractive alternative to the conventional black and blue ones. The Swiss module manufacturer Megasol Energie is now licensing the Fraunhofer ISE-developed Morphocolor technology for its modules.
The structured facade elements collect solar heat and transfer it to the heat pump circuit. In this way, they can raise the flow temperature for heat pumps.
In order to meet the Paris climate targets, the expansion of solar power capacity must increase continuously over the next few years. The development of decentralised production capacities must also be accelerated.
In a study, researchers from the IÖW and the HSK in Kehl examined agriphotovoltaics economically, ecologically and legally. There are still hurdles. But above all, the technology offers plenty of opportunities for farmers.
To increase the efficiency of concentrating solar thermal power plants, researchers have found a solution to avoid heat loss. They also use a more compact design and a new heat transfer medium.
