Solar-Powered Plant in Kenya Gives Drinking Water to 35,000 People a Day

GivePower is a global foundation that provides solar energy technology to deliver clean water, food and light to those who need it most. GivePower has brought clean, renewable energy to over 2,500 schools in 17 countries and impacted the lives of more than 300,000 people. One of their solar powered desalination systems produces enough clean healthy for about 35,000 people every single day. 

Compared to most traditional water wells, one GivePower solar water farm produces a higher quality of water over a longer period of time — powered by renewable energy, and delivered in an economically sustainable, and affordable, manner. Each Solar Water Farm can provide access to clean water for up to 35,000 people every single day. See how it has already changed the lives of thousands of villagers in Kiunga, Kenya.

Source: Youtube and GivePower (LINK)

Parkwind, Heerema and MHI Vestas announce a revolutionary construction methodology for Arcadis Ost 1

[Press release, Parkwind LINK] The announcement of the first floating WTG installation for Arcadis Ost 1 followed by the signing of a conditional agreement for turbine supply between Parkwind and MHI Vestas marked the first day of the Wind Europe conference in Copenhagen.

Parkwind’s German Arcadis Ost 1 project will be the first offshore wind farm that will make use of a floating vessel for the installation of Wind Turbine Generators. This achievement is the result of a year-long joint development between Parkwind, Heerema Marine Contractors and MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. 

Photo credit: Parkwind

IKEA invests 200 million euros to speed up action to become climate positive by 2030

[Press release, IKEA]In connection with COP25, Inter IKEA Group announces the decision to invest 200 million euros to speed up the transformation to become a climate positive business. The investment will focus on two portfolios – one to transform the IKEA supply chain into using renewable energy, and one to remove carbon from the atmosphere through reforestation, restoration of degraded forests and better forest management practices.

Recent reserach news on perovskite solar cell technology

Back-contact perovskite solar cells target greater efficiency

The Engineer: Solar cells could become more efficient and cheaper to mass produce as a result of an EPSRC-funded research project at St Andrew’s University. 

The project, led by research fellow Dr Jonathon Harwell of the university’s physics and astronomy department, aims to develop a back-contact perovskite cell, improving efficiency and making the cells easier to mass produce.

Important Breakthrough in Perovskite Solar Cells

SciTechDaily-5 Nov 2019: Rice University scientists believe they've overcome a major hurdle keeping perovskite-based solar cells from achieving mainstream use.

Through the strategic use of the element indium to replace some of the lead in perovskites, Rice materials scientist Jun Lou and his colleagues at the Brown School of Engineering say they're better able to engineer the defects in cesium-lead-iodide solar cells that affect the compound's band gap, a critical property in solar cell efficiency.

As a side benefit, the lab's newly formulated cells can be made in open air and last for months rather than days with a solar conversion efficiency slightly above 12%.

Perovskite solar cells get an upgrade
EurekAlert (press release)-5 Nov 2019

MIT scientists develop a coating for perovskites

pv magazine International: Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a transparent coating they successfully incorporated into a perovskite solar cell, increasing efficiency and stability. The group says with further improvements the material could be used as a simpler, less expensive alternative to widely used indium titanium oxide as a transparent conductive material for a range of applications.

Perovskite solar cells have new potential

The Engineer: A new type of material for next-generation solar cells eliminates the need to use lead, which has been a major roadblock for this technology.

Solar cells, incorporating the mineral perovskite, have been the focus of attention since the material was first shown to work in 2009. Solar cells that are built using this material are more efficient than current solar panels. Current solar panels capture 15% to 18% of the solar energy on average, while perovskite solar cells have been found to be as much as 28% efficient.

Highly Efficient Solar Cells Possible With Hybrid Perovskite ...
SciTechDaily-13 Nov 2019

IRENA report on accelerated solar PV deployment until 2050 reaching >8,500 GW global capacity

A recent report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) presents options to speed up deployment and fully unlock the world’s vast solar PV potential over the period until 2050. The report states that Solar PV project costs, already below marginal fossil-fuel costs in global terms, are set to decline further in the decades ahead.

According to the IRENA scenario, Solar PV would have the most significant installed capacity expansion by 2050. Graph Credit: IRENA

Robert Bosch GmbH aqcuires shares in PowerCell Sweden AB

[Press Release, PowerCell AB LINK] PowerCell Sweden AB has been informed that the German company Robert Bosch GmbH has acquired all Midroc New Technology’s shares in PowerCell Sweden AB. In total 5,848,531 shares, representing 11.3 percent of the votes and capital in PowerCell, has been acquired. 

Midroc New Technology is a venture capital company within Midroc Europe, an international company group headquartered in Stockholm. Midroc New Technology has been an owner in PowerCell since 2008 but has gradually decreased its ownership in the company over the last couple of years. 

The Fraunhofer ISE Photovoltaics Report 2019

[Fraunhofer ISE] Photovoltaics is a fast growing market: The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of PV installations was 24% between 2010 to 2017. The intention of the "Photovoltaics Report" published by Fraunhofer ISE is to provide up-to-date information on the PV market and on efficiencies of solar cells, modules and systems. Moreover, data on inverters, energy payback time and price developments are presented.

The record lab cell efficiency is 26.7% for mono-crystalline and 22.3% for multi-crystalline silicon wafer-based technology. The highest lab efficiency in thin film technology is 23.4% for CIGS and 21.0% for CdTe solar cells. In the laboratory, high concentration multi-junction solar cells achieve an efficiency of up to 47.1% today. With concentrator technology, module efficiencies of up to 38.9% have been reached. Graph: Fraunhofer ISE 2019.

BMW has invested SEK 650 million in Swedish Northvolt

[Translated from Swedish, LINK] According to Swedish media (DN and DI), the German car manufacturer BMW is one of several who announced this summer that they will continue to invest in Northvolt battery maker. Today's News reports that BMW has invested a total of SEK 650 million in the Swedish Battery company.

Cree and ABB Announce Silicon Carbide Partnership EV power electronics

[Press Release Cree, Inc. LINK], the global leader in silicon carbide technology, and ABB’s Power Grids business have announced a partnership to jointly expand the rollout of silicon carbide in the rapidly-growing high-power semiconductor market. The agreement incorporates the use of Cree’s Wolfspeed® silicon carbide-based semiconductors into ABB’s comprehensive product portfolio, enabling Cree to broaden its customer base while accelerating ABB’s entry into the fast-expanding EV sector.

Photo Credit : Cree Press release LINK

Group14 Technologies to scale up manufacturing of a next generation anode material

[Press Release BUSINESS WIRE LINK] Group14 Technologies (LINK) today announced $18 million in new financing from Amperex Technologies Limited (ATL), Showa Denko (SDK), Cabot Corporation, BASF Venture Capital, and OVP Venture Partners. The new funds will be used to scale up manufacturing of a next generation anode material and advance into commercial production.

New efficiency world record for organic solar modules

[Press release - EurekAlert!] A research team from Nuremberg and Erlangen has set a new record for the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic modules (OPV). The scientists from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE), and the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), a branch of Forschungszentrum Jülich, in cooperation with the South China University of Technology (SCUT), designed an OPV module with an efficiency of 12.6 percent over an area of 26 square centimeters. The former world record of 9.7 percent was exceeded by 30 percent. 

 

Dr. Andreas Distler (ZAE Bayern) with the organic record solar module at the Solar Factory of the Future. In the background, the pilot line for printed thin-film photovoltaics. Credit & Copyright: ZAE/Kurt Fuchs.

BASF and NGK partner to develop sodium-sulfur batteries

German BASF and Japanese ceramics manufacturer NGK INSULATORS, LTD. report that they are expanding their cooperation and entered into a joint development agreement to develop the next generation of sodium-sulfur batteries.

The NAS battery system boasts an array of superior features, including larger capacity, higher energy density and longer life compared to other battery technologies. These features are beneficial for stationary applications. Photo: NGK Insulators Ltd.

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