L R AS Published on Monday 25 January 2021 - n° 347 - Categories:R&D
Research in brief: the European HyFlow project, cooling the panels, chilli + perovskite, storage prices
Research in brief: the European HyFlow project, cooling PV panels, chilli and perovskite, storage prices
The European Union funds HyFlow. This project aims to develop a hybrid vanadium redox battery
coupled with a supercapacitor. Eleven partners from seven European countries have come together to develop it.
A redox battery has a large storage capacity, but it only charges and discharges slowly. The supercapacitor, on the other hand, has short charging times with low energy density. Hybridization aims to create an energy storage system that combines the advantages of both systems: large storage capacity and high performance.
The hybrid system could flexibly balance the electricity needs in the event of critical grid conditions such as high load or peak production - whether for a few moments or entire days.
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Researchers from the Middle East have proposed a new passive technology for cooling the solar panels. It is based on highly conductive porous materials.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/01/22/passive-cooling-with-porous-materials-for-pv-modules/
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Chinese scientists have discovered that capsaicin, the natural compound responsible for the spicy flavour of a chilli pepper, can also act as a "secret ingredient" in perovskite solar cells, making them both more efficient and more stable.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/01/20/a-pinch-of-chili-gives-perovskites-a-kick/
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The prices of storage batteries in the major electricity companies (before the meter) is expected to decline by 30% by 2025 in the Asia Pacific region according to Wood Mackenzie.
This would explain why storage capacity is expected to increase by 7 GW between now and then.
PV Magazine of 20 January 2021
