The “PV2Float” project by RWE, Fraunhofer ISE and BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is testing three floating PV systems (30 kW each) over three years. The research focuses on technical improvements, environmental impact and public acceptance. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Varta promises a higher energy density and a longer service life for the newly developed generation of lithium batteries. The batteries should also be more cost-effective and the recycling process simpler. The European Eco2Lib research project was therefore an important breakthrough.
Sodium-ion batteries have several advantages over conventional batteries. They contain no critical raw materials such as lithium or cobalt - and could make stationary energy storage and electromobility much more cost-effective. There is still a lack of the necessary energy storage materials for production.
In the new production process, the individual powders are sintered, i.e. pressed together under high pressure. This is quick and scalable for industrial processes.
Until now, hydrogen has been produced from fossil resources or with the help of electrolysis. But what potential do biogenic residues offer? This is what the BiReMiH2 project of the HY2.ZERO network in southern Germany is investigating.
Just under a year after the opening of Reiling's first recycling plant for solar modules, two technological breakthroughs have been achieved. Firstly, the quality of the recovered solar glass has been significantly improved. In addition, the recovery of silicon has been realised on an industrial scale.
A total of 15 universities and companies are involved in the project. The aim is to develop industrially usable and environmentally friendly cells. However, sodium is a tricky element and its use in storage technology is still in its infancy.
A research project by the ZSW in southern Germany is developing environmentally friendly energy storage systems for both urban transport and stationary applications.
Free charge carriers in perovskite solar cells are presumably protected from decay in a special way, as researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich have discovered by means of novel photoluminescence measurements.
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.
The currently most efficient organic solar module was constructed at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (HI ERN). It achieves a new record efficiency of 14.46 per cent.
Recently a 4GW high-efficiency photovoltaic module facility, jointly funded by Elion and DAS Solar, started in Inner Mongolia, China.
The Italian manufacturer of high-efficiency PV modules, FuturaSun, acquires Solertix, a start-up specialized in perovskite solar cells research and upscaling for industrial applications.
A study by the University of Hohenheim has shown that agriculture benefits from shading the soil with solar systems, especially in dry regions. This is because less water evaporates, which the plants need.
Researchers not only want to further develop printable solar cells technologically. Rather, they want to provide solutions with them in order to implement different application variants.
The manufacturer of commercial storage batteries Tesvolt and the University of Magdeburg want to cooperate on scientific projects in the future. They want to research new approaches to energy storage and further develop battery technologies.
Researchers in Belgium are exploring the benefits of silicon in the development of new, higher energy-density, batteries technologies, which would allow electric vehicles to travel further on one charge. Questions and answers from our partner SolarPower Europe.
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 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.
Instead of a toxic solvent, ZSW researchers in Germany have used a water-based chemical to produce cathodes with a high nickel content. The batteries produced with this chemical are not only more environmentally friendly, but also last longer.
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.
The Bi-Clever pilot project has now shown that the degree of self-sufficiency of solar system owners with e-cars can more than double through bidirectional charging. A stationary battery storage system actually increases the self-sufficiency to 59 per cent.
A gymnasium roof in Eppingen shows how a solar system can discreetly disappear into the building envelope. The BIPV system has 66 kilowatts and produces at least 90 per cent of the electricity generated by a conventional solar power system with uncoated glass.
Coils in a road that are used to charge electric vehicles while driving full speed: A consortium of researchers and developers from industry wants to bring this technology to series production readiness.
A student project of the THI shows favourable economic viability of a vertical agri-photovoltaic system using bifacial PV modules.
