Category: Solar Energy

Venice-based startup 9Tech has developed a highly efficient method for recycling solar panels, enabling the recovery of up to 99% of components. This innovative approach is significantly cleaner and greener than conventional recycling methods, as it avoids the release of toxic fumes.

As the global push for cleaner energy sources intensifies, it is estimated that 400 gigawatts of solar power are being added to the grid annually, a figure expected to more than quadruple by the decade’s end. While this growth is positive, environmentalists are concerned about the waste generated when solar panels reach the end of their lifespan. Built to withstand weather events for over 30 years, solar panels are tough and challenging to dismantle, making recycling or component recovery particularly difficult and reliant on harsh chemicals.

Continue reading… “Venice-Based 9Tech Revolutionizes Solar Panel Recycling with Eco-Friendly Method”

The solar energy world is on the brink of a revolution as scientists race to develop a new type of solar cell that promises to convert electricity more efficiently than today’s panels. In a recent paper published in the journal Nature Energy, a researcher from CU Boulder and his international collaborators unveiled an innovative method to manufacture these next-generation solar cells, known as perovskite cells, a critical step towards their commercialization.

Currently, nearly all solar panels are made from silicon, which has an efficiency of 22 percent, meaning they convert only about one-fifth of the sun’s energy into electricity. Additionally, producing silicon is both expensive and energy-intensive.

Continue reading… “Revolutionizing Solar Energy: The Promise of Perovskite Cells”

Energy self-consumption has made a significant leap forward by addressing a major challenge for homeowners: insufficient roof space for solar panels. A team of scientists has developed the first wind fence capable of producing up to 1,000 kWh of electricity, a groundbreaking innovation that could transform home energy production.

Wind energy can now be harnessed using wind electricity fences, a novel approach to generating power. These structures, designed for urban environments, utilize wind as a renewable energy source to provide electricity for homes and businesses. Unlike traditional wind turbines that require large open spaces, wind fences are built for urban settings, making them accessible for both residential and commercial use.

Continue reading… “Revolutionizing Home Energy: The Wind Fence Solution”

Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have unveiled a groundbreaking method to enhance solar cell efficiency by a factor of 1,000. This significant breakthrough was achieved by engineering crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate in an alternating lattice structure.

Their findings, published in the journal Science Advances, have the potential to transform the solar energy industry.

Continue reading… “Revolutionary Solar Cell Efficiency: MLU Researchers Achieve 1,000-Fold Increase”

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by creating a solar energy capture and storage system that boasts an impressive 18-year capacity. When linked to a thermoelectric generator, this innovative system can also generate electricity on demand, opening up new possibilities for harnessing solar energy globally.

The significance of this breakthrough is profound, offering the ability to store solar energy for extended periods and transmit it globally. This stored energy can then be efficiently converted into electricity whenever needed, resulting in a self-sustaining, closed-loop system that eliminates the production of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

Continue reading… “Swedish Researchers Develop Revolutionary Solar Energy Storage System with Global Potential”

Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform the solar energy industry. Their new method, published in the journal Science Advances, promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells by a staggering factor of 1,000.

The innovative approach involves creating crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate, arranged in a lattice structure. This unique ring-shaped wing design has the potential to revolutionize solar energy production.

Continue reading… “Revolutionizing Solar Efficiency: MLU Researchers Uncover Breakthrough Method”

In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists have established the feasibility of colossal solar farms in space, heralding the promise of an abundant and sustainable source of clean energy. A joint endeavor by the University of Surrey and the University of Swansea has produced compelling evidence through a remarkable six-year study involving an orbiting satellite.

This pioneering satellite, conceived by the Surrey Space Centre in collaboration with a team of aspiring engineers from the Algerian Space Agency, embarked on a mission to uncover the potential of space-based solar panels. Employing cutting-edge technology, the satellite featured cells constructed from thin-film cadmium telluride, a semiconducting material, layered upon ultra-thin glass. This innovative solar technology facilitates the creation of expansive, lightweight panels capable of generating substantial power at an economical cost.

Continue reading… “Solar Farms in Space: A Viable Source of Limitless Clean Energy”

Various methods already exist for harnessing solar energy to split water and generate hydrogen. However, the production of “green” hydrogen from these methods has typically been more expensive than conventional “gray” hydrogen derived from natural gas. A new study, conducted by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Technical University of Berlin, offers a promising solution to make green hydrogen cost-effective: divert a portion of the hydrogen produced to upgrade raw biomass-derived chemicals into high-value industrial products. This co-production concept offers flexibility, enabling a single plant to produce diverse by-products as needed.

To combat climate change, it’s imperative to transition away from fossil fuels as swiftly as possible. In the envisioned energy landscape of the future, green hydrogen is poised to play a pivotal role in energy storage and serve as a renewable feedstock for manufacturing chemicals and materials across numerous applications.

Continue reading… “Making Solar Hydrogen Profitable: A Green Path to High-Value Chemicals”

British astronaut Tim Peake has thrown his support behind a groundbreaking concept of creating solar farms in space. This innovative approach involves using satellites to capture solar energy and then transmitting it back to ground stations in the form of microwaves. The concept has the potential to revolutionize sustainable energy generation.

At the heart of this idea lies the deployment of satellites in geostationary orbits approximately 36,000 kilometers (22,700 miles) above Earth’s surface. In this unique position, these satellites could harness solar power nearly round the clock, regardless of weather conditions, capitalizing on sunlight that is more intense than what reaches the Earth’s surface.

Continue reading… “Tim Peake Supports Ambitious Plan for Space-Based Solar Farms”

Scientists in the US have developed thin-film materials with photovoltaic cells capable of producing energy. Much lighter than regular solar panels, they can be added to any type of surface, including clothing!. magine ultra-thin photovoltaic films that could be added to your windowsill, the back of your smartphone or even your clothes!

That’s the idea of a research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who have developed thin layers of photovoltaic cells. Made from semiconducting printable electronic inks, these devices are capable of generating about 370 watts of power per kilogram, about 18 times more than conventional solar panels, all while weighing one hundredth of their weight, say the researchers.

Although ultra-thin, these films are robust, as they are protected by a lightweight (13 grams per square meter), but very resistant composite fabric substrate. According to the researchers — whose project is outlined in an article published on the website of the scientific journal, Small Methods — these mini textile solar panels managed to maintain 90% of their power-producing capacity even after being rolled and unrolled more than 500 times!

It’s a project that’s as innovative as it is promising, since these devices could be adapted for use on numerous surfaces, the scope of which could greatly exceed those found in our homes. “For instance, they could be integrated onto the sails of a boat to provide power while at sea, adhered onto tents and tarps that are deployed in disaster recovery operations, or applied onto the wings of drones to extend their flying range,” the researchers explain in a blog post. 

Continue reading… “Scientists Explore Using Paper-thin Solar Cells to Generate Renewable Energy”

This illustration shows how SolarDuck’s technology could be deployed at sea.

Anmar Frangoul

• German energy firm RWE is to invest in a pilot project centered around the deployment of floating solar technology in the North Sea.
• RWE describes “integration of offshore floating solar into an offshore wind farm” as “a more efficient use of ocean space for energy generation.”
• Earlier this month, energy firm EDP inaugurated a 5 MW floating solar park in Portugal. 

German energy firm RWE is to invest in a pilot project centered around the deployment of floating solar technology in the North Sea, as part of a wider collaboration focused on the development of “floating solar parks.”

Set to be installed in waters off Ostend, Belgium, the pilot, called Merganser, will have a capacity of 0.5 megawatt peak, or MWp. In a statement earlier this week, RWE said Merganser would be Dutch-Norwegian firm SolarDuck’s first offshore pilot.

RWE said Merganser would provide both itself and SolarDuck with “important first-hand experience in one of the most challenging offshore environments in the world.”

Learnings gleaned from the project would allow for a quicker commercialization of the technology from 2023, it added.

RWE described SolarDuck’s system as being based around a design enabling the solar panels to “float” meters above water and ride waves “like a carpet.” 

Continue reading… “A pilot project in the North Sea will develop floating solar panels that glide over waves ‘like a carpet’”