Photovoltaics (PV) is the name of a method of converting solar energy into direct currentelectricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon commonly studied in physics, photochemistry and electrochemistry. A photovoltaic system employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells to supply usable solar power. The process is both physical and chemical in nature, as the first step involves the photoelectric effect from which a second electrochemical process takes place involving crystallized atoms being ionized in a series, generating an electric current. Power generation from solar PV has long been seen as a clean sustainable energy technology which draws upon the planet’s most plentiful and widely distributed renewable energy source – the sun. The direct conversion of sunlight to electricity occurs without any moving parts or environmental emissions during operation. It is well proven, as photovoltaic systems have now been used for fifty years in specialized applications, and grid-connected PV systems have been in use for over twenty years. They were first mass-produced in the year 2000, when German environmentalists including Eurosolar succeeded in obtaining government support for the 100,000 roofs program.
... scientist and group manager for the High-Efficiency Crystalline Photovoltaics group in the Chemistry and Nanoscience department at NREL. NREL published the study in the IEEEJournal of Photovoltaics.
As the US InflationReductionAct (IRA) ramps up clean energy efforts across the United States, the government has outlined a plan to expand transmission lines to accommodate more power. From pv magazine USA... ....
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, offers bite-sized analysis on solar PV module supply and price trends ... Efforts to reduce production and clear wafer inventory are progressing slowly, according to a market observer.
Researchers in China have designed a two-stage, solar-assisted thermochemical heat pump system that uses caustic soda and water as a working pair ... The analysis showed that the system can achieve an energy storage density of 363 kWh/m3 ... ....
India set a new record for monthly renewable energy installations by deploying 7.1 GW of capacity in March 2024. The monthly renewables additions included more than 6.2 GW of solar. From pv magazine India ... “However, critical challenges persist.
Singapore-based renewables developer VenaEnergy has launched commercial operations of a 125 MW solar project in the Australian state of Queensland. It is backed by a long-term offtake agreement with global tech giant Amazon... ....
“I was especially surprised about the demand-to-production ratio of Cs ... The work is described in “The resource demands of multi-terawatt-scale perovskite tandem photovoltaics,” published in Joule ... ....
OCI has revealed plans to invest $617.9 million to expand production at its Malaysian manufacturing facility from 35,000 to 56,600 metric tons ... ....
March weather patterns in Asia saw notable shifts due to jet stream movements and an extended monsoon season, impacting solar energy potential across the region, according to analysis using the Solcast API... ....
Swiss consulting firm Pexapark noted a rise in European power purchase agreement (PPA) prices in March, for the first monthly increase since August 2023 ... It said all tracked PPA prices increased 9.8% month on month to €47.40 ($50.95)/MWh in March ... ....
SkyPower Global has signed a 1 GW solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with a Zambian utility to supply electricity to approximately 4 million homes. Zambian PresidentHakainde Hichilema hailed the significance of the deal amid ongoing droughts ... ....
The 2024 edition of the Middle East's most important solar event hosted a higher number of exhibitors and visitors, even though the heaviest rainfall seen in decades hit the United Arab Emirates throughout the first day of the trade show.